Forward With Courage
by RavenclawRae1918
Summary: "When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelop you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists - as it surely will. Then act with courage." -Ponce Chief White Eagle UNDER REVISION!
1. Dangerous Trains and Boring Feasts

**We've got hopes on the horizon**

 **We can't stop from climbing the mountain**

 **Sick and tired of keeping silent**

 **We are, we are, we are**

 **We are gonna come together**

 **-Echosmith; Come Together**

 **Dangerous Trains and Boring Feasts**

Andy stood beside her trunk on the platform, blending into the crowd of other students and parents. Some of them were dressed in their wizarding clothes while others were dressed in Muggle attire to try to appear normal when they left the platform. Andy was one such person, dressed in black skinny jeans, a Bon Jovi concert t-shirt, black leather ankle boots, and a black leather jacket. If her parents saw her like this, they would probably hang her from the rafters by her toes but, as it was, her parents had not seen even a glimpse of her since she was eight. She was now fifteen, nearly sixteen, and she looked nothing like the rest of her family.

When she was eight, she made an agreement with her grandfather, whom she lovingly referred to as papa, that stated he would change her last name to his own and never let another soul know the truth as long as she never followed down her parents' path. It was an empty and playful threat (he couldn't reveal who she was without facing major backlash on himself) but needless to say, Andy was top in her class and never had any disciplinary problems. She weaved through the crowd and hopped onto the train, pulling her luggage behind her. She went straight to the back car which contained most of the Gryffindors but some of her own house as well. She made sure to find a compartment all to herself and she locked the door behind her and closed the blinds. After storing her luggage and letting her cat, Amiya, out of her cage, Andy flopped on the seat and sighed. She was beginning her fifth year at Hogwarts and she still had barely any friends. Partly because she trusted very few people and partly because she knew better than to make close friends.

Further down the train, a dark haired boy was leaning against the compartment door just trying to see her. He watched with large eyes as she walked past his compartment, just like every year; her purple locks swaying as she walked and her focused green eyes dead set on wherever she was going. She looked like the very definition of a bad girl but she never stepped a toe out of line. He unconsciously leaned over to watch her walk away and didn't realize what he was doing until he heard his friend say, "Shame on you, watching Andy like that."

Oliver immediately righted himself and felt his cheeks get warm as he replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Fred, George, and Lee watched him with smirks as he attempted to regain composure. "I was just seeing where she was going."

"Mhm, I'm sure that's exactly what you were trying to see," Lee implied as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively over the top of a quidditch magazine. Oliver rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the fact that his blush was growing. He didn't normally sit with the boys as they were constantly up to no good but over the summer, his two friends had gained girlfriends and he didn't feel like being a fifth wheel.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Fred asked his quidditch captain as he flipped through a muggle prank magazine. Oliver sighed and flopped back against the seat. They had been asking him that ever since he admitted to silently crushing Andy their first year on the team, three years ago. It was easy for them to say though; she was their best friend, practically their older sister. But every time they asked him, his answer stayed the same.

"I don't know, okay?" he said sharply before sighing again. "What if she doesn't like me?" Before any of them could make a comeback, there were loud noises and bangs coming from outside their compartment.

In her compartment, Andy shot straight up and was instantly alert. She quietly slid her door open and peeked into the hall. At the end of the aisle, she saw a Slytherin and a Gryffindor dueling and from the sound of the spells coming from their lips, one of them was going to be expelled. What really caught her attention is that Oliver, a boy in the year above her in Gryffindor, had also popped out of his compartment to see what was going on but was looking dead at her, not noticing the wayward spell coming directly for him. Panicking, Andy ran towards him and as she did, she screamed, "Protego!"

A white light leaped forth from her outstretched hand and blocked the curse as Oliver turned around to see that the curse that was barely a meter in front of his face. She dove forwards and tackled him to the ground and then dragged him back into his compartment and slammed the door. His face was whiter than a sheet of paper and his breathing was heavy and shallow out of fear.

"Oliver? Oliver, you have to say something, let me know you're okay," she told him, attempting to keep calm as she lightly smacked his face a couple times to stop his eyes from rolling into the back of his head. He looked at her with a dazed expression and said, "You know my name."

Andy's jaw dropped and she laughed incredulously. "You're the Gryffindor quidditch team captain. Of course I know your name."

"Well what if I don't know your name?" he argued weakly, although it was a moot point. He most definitely knew her name. She smiled softly at him and shook her head, saying, "My name's Andraste but I go by Andy."

"Nice to meet you, Andy. And thanks for that, by the way," Oliver said as he propped himself into a sitting position. Andy nodded and smiled at him.

"Of course." She rummaged around in her pocket and then pulled out a Muggle candy bar and handed it to him. "Eat this, chocolate fixes everything."

He took the candy and opened it with still shaky fingers and broke off a piece, popping it in his mouth. Fred then said, "Hey there, Andy. Good holiday?"

"Most definitely. I spent all summer roaming the UK, looking for some good music. How about you boys?" she asked politely. Oliver watched her in awe as she spoke to them. Her voice was almost silent; it was so soft but it sounded sweeter than a thousand hymns to him. The three boys entertained her with stories of their summer adventures, Fred and George going on and on about their overprotective mother and how they stole their dad's flying car to rescue their younger brother's friend, Harry, from his Muggle uncle's house. Oliver finished the candy bar as he watched them interact playfully.

"So what the bloody hell was that?" Fred asked as Oliver had returned to his normal, tanned complexion and his heart rate was back where it needed to be.

"That, my dear Weasley, was a duel," she told him. "It was between two girls; one Gryffindor and one Slytherin."

"What spell was the one shot towards me?" Oliver asked curiously. Andy winced and murmured, "Cruciatus curse."

Oliver blanched and George murmured, "Blimey..."

"Indeed," Andy commented as she nodded. She sat there in their compartment beside Oliver and continued chatting with all four boys. When it began to get closer to their arrival time, she took one last look at Oliver's complexion and deemed him to be okay so she stood up and brushed her pants off. "Well I'll be returning to my own compartment, as I'm sure we'll be arriving soon. You boys should get changed too."

Once again, Oliver watched her walk off and got smacked over the head with three rolled up magazines.

Back in her compartment, Andy made sure the blinds were drawn before she began putting her school uniform on. The train began to slow as she adjusted the grey skirt. When it came to a full stop, she gathered up Amiya, leaving her luggage to be collected, before exiting the train. She blended with all the other students as they scuttled along. Incidentally, she ended up in a carriage with a bunch of second years. She recognized one girl, Hermione, but the other two were unfamiliar. She was friendly with Hermione, as they often sat in the library to study or read together and sometimes they took turns studying together in each other's House common rooms.

"Andy! It's so good to see you, how was your break?" Hermione asked the older girl enthusiastically. Hermione looked up to the older girl because she was everything she herself wanted to be; intelligent, witty, and gorgeous. Andy had the same curly hair as she but it was never as fluffy. Last year, the girl imparted her secret.

 _"Don't brush it out after its dried. Only brush it before and after you shower and then let it dry naturally," she had told her with a crooked smile over the top of a book on Herbology._ The older girl hadn't been wrong. She began taking her advice over the summer and it improved her hair drastically. Andy smiled at her as she sat across from her and let Amiya free to wander over to the younger curly haired girl.

"I've actually had a wonderful summer. I was all over England, attending various concerts and such. I trust your summer was well?" Andy asked in reply. If she was honest, Hermione was one of the closest things she had to a friend at Hogwarts. Minus the twins and all the teachers of course. Andy was best friends with all the Hogwarts staff, even Mr. Filch had taken a liking to her after she helped him apprehend a couple of students who were sneaking out past curfew to go drink by the lake. She knew the castle like the back of her hand after the many years she spent here, after the countless summers she spent roaming the halls.

"Oh of course! My parents loved all those books I brought home. My mum absolutely loved the one about St. Mungos that you gave me," Hermione told her. Andy gave her a large, thousand-watt smile. It stunned the two, already speechless, second years. They had heard about her from other classmates and they had caught glimpses of her from time to time. But now she was sitting with her arm touching Neville and he felt a bit faint.

"That's excellent," Andy said. Then she glanced at the wide-eyed twelve-year-olds and smirked. "And who are your friends?"

"Oh, where are my manners! This is Neville Longbottom and that is Kami Lingh." Andy nodded and shook both their hands. This helped them snap out of it a bit but Andy felt it was probably the intimidation of being around an older student.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Neville murmured with his eyes cast low and Kami offered a shy wave. Andy smiled at Neville and said, "Professor Sprout speaks very highly of you, do you enjoy Herbology?" And just like that, the atmosphere in the carriage changed as the twelve-year-old boy began chatting about Herbology. The four of them discussed their favourite classes as they rode up to the castle. Andy gushed about Muggle Studies, which she enjoyed mainly for Muggle history. Kami, as Andy quickly realized, was a huge DADA geek and probably knew more defensive and offensive spells than kids in their fifth year. Hermione had a passion for potions and charms because she wanted to become a healer at St. Mungo's. They continued to chat as they joined the crowd to funnel into the castle and entered the Great Hall. It was there that she waved to the three second year Gryffindors and made her way to her own House. She had very few friends in her own House, mostly because she was seen as an outcast. Even amoung bookworms, she was seen as too much of a hermit.

Introductions were made, Dumbledore gave his usual speech, this year's DADA professor was introduced, bets were made on how long he'd last, and all the students dug into the glorious feast. When it was through, she rejoined the Gryffindors and the group of eight gathered up the youngest Weasley, a first year named Ginny, and herded her to the Gryffindor common room with Andy tagging along like she did every year so she could spend more time with the Terrible Trio (Lee, Fred, and George). Oliver watched Andy interact with the girl, pointing to nifty hiding spots and telling her which portraits were worth befriending. He had never been this close to her in all the years he had known of her due to the House separation or quidditch practice or out of sheer cowardice. He caught the eyes of the Terrible Trio who were all looking at him with smirks and raised eyebrows. Oliver felt heat creep up his cheeks and he looked away immediately.

But of course, they should've known that the peace couldn't last.

 **Updated on on 08-26-2016**


	2. Disappointing Birthdays and Magic Books

**The men up on the news  
They try to tell us all that we will lose  
But it's so easy in this blue  
Where everything is good**

 **-Lorde; Buzzcut Season**

 **Disappointing Birthdays and Magic Books**

Honestly, Andy couldn't tell you what day all of it began but she knew what caused it. That bloody diary that Ginny clung to. She could sense something odd about it, something dark. Hence why she had gotten Hermione to sneak into the first years' dorm and steal it. The attack on Mr. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, and the writing on the wall made Andy rather nervous and slightly pissed off. It was her birthday, for crying out loud. The diary now sat in front of her on the desk in the Room of Requirement, her hiding spot. Today it resembled a small library with a single desk in the center of the room. She could feel something very dark and very alive pulsing through the seemingly innocent book. She steeled herself and then lowered her quill to the blank page and wrote, "Hello."

The moment her pen left the page, the word faded and she narrowed her eyes at it. A second later, words began to appear. "Hello," it read. "You are not Ginny."

The words faded and Andy took it to mean that it was her turn. "No, I am not Ginny Weasley. My name is Andy." After a second's hesitation, she added, "What's your name?"

"Andy is odd for a girl's name. What's your last name?"

"It's a nickname. You didn't answer my question."

"Tom."

"Tom Riddle, yeah? And my last name is Dumbledore. Why are you in this book?" she asked him, hoping he may answer.

"You are quite young to know that name. Did your parents tell you about me?"

"No, my guardian did. How do you know my parents?"

"And who exactly is your guardian?"

"Why are you in this book?"

"I could always ignore your questions, silly girl."

"I could always burn this book, silly boy." She just called the Dark Lord a silly boy. Merlin help her, she was going to die.

"Surely you are a Slytherin."

"Nope, Ravenclaw. Now why are you in this book?"

"Shame. How old are you?"

"You don't need to know that, now why are you in this book?"

"Today was your birthday." It wasn't a question. He knew her _birthday._

"That is really none of your business now isn't it?"

"So it was. This has been most... enlightening. Good-bye, for now." The pages faded off the book and she knew he wasn't going to respond again.

She slammed the diary closed and huffed to herself. That's when she knew only one person in the world could have any answers and it was the last person she wanted to admit her thievery and meddling to. She checked the time and, mustering her courage, headed out of the Room of Requirement. She walked on autopilot and berated herself the entire time but she knew this was the only way to get answers.

"Licorice wands," she said to the gargoyle that she had affectionately named Gregory. He dipped his head in greeting to her and stepped to the side, allowing her to climb the spiral staircase. She knocked twice at the door before pushing it open and peeking inside. What she was not expecting was to see the room full of staff members, all of whom were now staring at her. Papa smiled at her kindly from behind his desk and gestured for her to come in so she did. She smiled at the professors as she passed them, even the new nitwit Defense teacher, Professor Lockheart. She walked around to the other side of the desk, standing beside her papa, and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"I know how He got in." Papa froze up a bit but nodded. He maintained his mysterious smile and sparkling blue eyes but anyone who really knew the man would be able to sense the subtle shift in his attitude that signaled him going into serious mode.

"We shall have another staff meeting in the morning. It has been a long evening and I dare say that we could all use a good night's rest. Mr. Filch, Madam Pomfrey already has a spot set up for Mrs. Norris where she will be well taken care of and watched over while we find out what has happened to her. You may go see her now. I advise the rest of you to use these few hours for necessary rest." With that, one by one, the gathered staff members filed their way out of the large office. When they all exited, Professor McGonagall giving them one final suspicious glance, the headmaster sighed and looked at his adopted granddaughter. It had been her first summer away from the castle but she seemed to have taken care of herself well enough. Even so, she was looking more and more like her mother every day. Soon he was going to have to speak with her about maybe keeping her hair straight or dying it a different, lighter color. Thankfully she didn't have her mother's eyes. No, instead she had her father's brilliant green eyes that were currently staring at him with the utmost urgency.

"What have you discovered, dear child?" he asked her.

"It's his diary, Tom Riddle Jr. He's controlling Ginny Weasley to do his bidding. I had a bad feeling about that diary ever since it first turned up so I may have asked a Gryffindor to steal it for me so I could poke around with it," she admitted sheepishly. Her theft was the least of her papa's problems at this point though; Lord Voldemort found a way back into the school for the second year in a row.

"Where is the diary now, child?" he asked her gravely. She hesitated but slowly slipped the diary out from under her robes and placed it in front of him. He ran his fingers lightly over the cover and they both shivered as they felt the dark energy pulsing in the unassuming book.

"What is it, Papa?" she asked him, biting back the tone of terror.

"A horcrux, my child. It is a magic most evil and foul," he responded gravely as he opened the diary.

"A horcrux? What is that?"

"When a witch or wizard murders another with evil intention, it rips their soul. Using this magic, it allows that ripped piece to latch on to any object that the user wants it to. For instance, this diary," he explained to his young charge.

She was silent as he cautiously flipped through the blank, perfect pages. After several long beats of silence only broken by the shuffling of pages, she whispered, "He knew me, Papa."

His hand stopped. His fingers clutched the page so tightly that it ripped. Softly but with a tone that meant business, he asked her, "How?"

"He asked my name and I told Him. He knew my birthday, Papa. How could He know my birthday?" she asked, scared of the answer.

"You know who your parents were, Andraste. Is it really so unbelieving that He would know the birthday of their only child?"

"But I told Him my name was Dumbledore!" she argued. He gave her a soft smile as he glanced over at her.

"How many people could there be that have a Halloween birthday, have the nickname Andy, have no fear of Voldemort, and were taken in by myself?" he asked her.

She had no reply to that. Instead, she asked, "What are we going to do about the diary, Papa?"

"We can't destroy it. That would take means that not even I have access to. Therefore, our only option is to wait. Allow the book to continue to play its little game and see if we can catch a loophole, an overlooked weakness. Tom has an uncanny ability to miss the finer details of magic." She visibly flinched and looked at her papa in horror.

"You can't mean that you think the diary should be returned to Ginny!" she exclaimed. He was also taken back at her accusation.

"Why, Merlin no. I wouldn't purposely put Ms. Weasley's life in harm's way. No, my child, it is my wish that you be the one to handle this diary. I believe that you are the last person it would try to harm," he told her quietly, his eyes fixed on her face as he carefully watched her expressions. She blinked a few times and stared at the empty space of wall right behind his head.

"Me?" she asked. Her? Why would the Dark Lord spare her? Was it because of her parents?

"Yes, child. You are the only one with whom I feel this diary is safe with," he told her with a grim look in his eyes. There was something he wasn't telling her but that was just how Papa operated; Andy understood that after living with him for the majority of her life. She was quiet for a moment as she stared at the diary.

"You are certain that with the diary in my possession, it will no longer be able to harm Ginny?" she asked, taking a couple deep breaths to calm her nerves.

"I am at least fairly certain. The longer Ms. Weasley stays away from the influence of the diary, the more level-headed she will become," he assured her. Nodding, she gingerly picked up the worn leather book and slipped it back into robes, this time highly aware of its presence on her person. With that, she murmured a goodnight to her papa and slipped out of the room. The old man watched her leave and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

"You better not bring harm upon my family," Phineas said to him from his portrait to Albus' left. "I sincerely hope you know what you're doing."

"As do I, Phineas," he replied, locking his fingers together and resting his chin atop them. "As do I."

To say that sleeping with a diary that contained the soul of the evilest wizard known to date right beside her pillow made Andy feel uneasy was the largest understatement of the century in her opinion. She laid part of the night just watching the unmoving, almost innocent, diary. When she finally passed out around 3 in the morning from sheer exhaustion, the book still hadn't done anything out of ordinary. When she woke up around eight that morning, the diary still hadn't moved an inch. She sighed and accepted that the diary wasn't going to do much of anything unless she actually opened it and wrote in it. With a small sigh, she pulled herself out of bed and dragged herself into the bathroom to get ready for the day. She had been slammed with homework due to OWLs and had entirely too much to do. Once she was showered and dressed in a comfy Muggle outfit, she grabbed her bag of shrunken textbooks, parchment, and quills. She stuffed the diary in the bag as well before slipping out of the dorm room. All of her other roommates were still sleeping due to it being Sunday morning and she didn't feel like disturbing them. She jogged down the stairs to the Great Hall to quickly grab a piece of buttered toast and an orange before leaving for the library. When she arrived, Hermione was already there, waiting for her. The older girl slipped into the seat across from her and Hermione shot her a quick smile before flipping the page in her Potions textbook and scanning the words for something useful in her essay, tapping her finger erratically as she read and reread the same line five times. Sensing something off with the young girl, Andy pulled out her Transfiguration textbook and asked, "How've you been Hermione?"

"Ginny knows," the younger girl blurted out, leaning closer across the table so her whispered words would be heard. Setting her textbook down and looking at her friend with furrowed brows, Andy cast a nonverbal Muffilato before asking, "What do you mean?"

"Shush!" Hermione whispered worriedly, looking over her shoulders to make sure no one nearby overheard the normally spoken words.

"Hermione, love, relax. I cast a charm, no one can overhear us. Now what in the name of Merlin are you talking about?" she asked again, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. Hermione sighed deeply out of relief before settling back against her own chair.

"Ginny knows you're the one with the diary. I don't know how she knows but she told me to tell you to stop poking your nose in her stuff and to give it back immediately," Hermione told her as she nervously wrung her hands.

"Well that's too bad for her because the Headmaster has determined that I should be the one to hang on to the diary. It's too dangerous for a young girl to be messing about with," Andy told her sternly. "And you can tell her exactly that."

"If you don't mind me asking, Andy…" the younger girl started hesitantly, "…but what is it exactly?"

She thought hard about how to answer the question but eventually gave up on trying to concoct some cover story and settled on telling her the truth. Hermione would find out sooner or later anyways. "It's a piece of Lord Voldemort's soul that was transferred to this book where it continues to live to this day. That's why Ginny has been acting so out of character lately. She was more or less being influenced by the Dark Lord himself."

"Merlin!" the twelve-year-old gasped as she turned ghost white. "But then why doesn't Professor Dumbledore just burn the book and be done with it!"

"Hermione, if it were really that easy do you honestly think we wouldn't have done it already? The magic that protects this book can only be destroyed in a very limited amount of ways and most of those ways are nearly impossible to come upon. The best we can do is attempt to stop any first years from offing someone because of a demented diary," she explained to her younger friend. Hermione nodded in agreement and swallowed hard, digesting all the new information.

"I assume I am not allowed to tell anyone else that last bit?" Hermione joked lightly, trying to make the situation at least slightly humourous. Andy laughed and shook her head as she actually opened her textbook.

"No, I do not think my papa would appreciate that. Now what essay did Snape assign to you lot this time?" The pair spent the next four hours just like that, discussing assignments they had to work on, asking for input and opinions, tag teaming some of the more difficult essays, and so on until their stomachs were rumbling so loudly that they made a decision to break for lunch plus it was noon so the boys would be getting a break from quidditch practice as well. They packed up and left the library, waving to Madam Pince as they left.

"Did you know that Oliver fancies you?" Hermione asked out of the blue. The question was so absurd to Andy that she tripped over her own feet and stumbled a bit forwards before righting herself.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I said, did you know that Oliver fancies you?" the younger girl asked yet again, dead serious. Andy laughed hysterically at the very thought of the older, fit quidditch captain looking twice in her direction and shook her head at the second year.

"You've lost it with all the studying, Mione. Maybe we should call it quits and just meet up tomorrow after classes to give your brain a break," Andy told her with a little chuckle.

"Are you sure, Andy?" Hermione asked her skeptically with one brow raised. "Because I overheard the twins and Lee trying to tell Oliver that he needed to man up and just ask you to Hogsmeade already."

Andy blinked rapidly and looked at the younger girl with shock. Hermione just smirked at the blush creeping up her neck. "Shuddup," she muttered, trying to hide her smile. Hermione laughed and skipped alongside her older friend.

Once inside the Great Hall, Andy opted to sit with her Gryffindor friends. Like they guessed, the quidditch team had just gotten let go for lunch and were spread out along the table. Hermione sat to the left of her best friend, Harry, whilst their other friend Ron sat to Harry's right. Andy then chose the seat to Hermione's left which left her sitting right next to Oliver and across from the twins and Lee who had joined them at practice. The Terrible Trio gave her a wicked grin that made her recall her very recent conversation with Mione, causing the blush to burst back across her cheeks and their grins to grow even wider. She looked away from them as she grabbed a sandwich, a couple handfuls of chips, and poured herself a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"So how was practice?" Mione asked the boys as they all ate hurriedly.

"It was pretty good actually, we might really stand a chance this year. Last year was pure luck but this year we have some serious plans up our sleeves," Oliver responded excitedly, always eager to discuss his favourite subject.

"And by luck, he means Harry," George told the rest of the group, making Harry blush and the rest of us laugh, although he wasn't really joking.

"Yeah but this year, we're all just as talented and ready to go as that little bugger," Fred continued, ruffling the twelve-year-old's black hair.

"Okay, okay. Settle down, you lot, leave the poor boy alone. How's your mum doin', Lee? I remember you mentioned she had been ill," Andy said, effectively changing the subject.

"Yeah, she caught some Muggle disease that's apparently fatal to them but is rather curable for us magical folk as long as it's caught in time. We just got really lucky, I suppose," he told them, with a small smile on his face. Andy had met his mum a few times and she really was the sweetest woman in the world. From there, conversation carried on over to whether or not Lee would be joining the Weasley's for their stay over Christmas at Hogwarts and then turned to all the holiday-themed pranks they could pull. While the group laughed after a particularly funny image of Snape dressed like Santa was put in their brains via Fred, Oliver leaned over and whispered, "Meet me by the lake in ten minutes."

With that, he announced that he had to go finish finalizing quidditch plays and excused himself. The rest of the group continued on but Andy wasn't really there anymore. Was Mione right? Was he really going to ask her to Hogsmeade? Barely five minutes later, she also excused herself and said that she wasn't feeling too peachy. They didn't necessarily think she was lying, her face was incredibly pale and her eyes were slightly unfocused. Ron pushed away the other half of the turkey sandwich he had gotten from the same plate as her and chugged a glass of water really quick.

Andy slowly made her way out to the lake. She could faintly see the outline of a man sitting at the edge of the water, staring out across the great expanse. She made sure to not make any noise as she made her way down the slight slope to his side but regardless, he didn't even look surprised when she sunk to the ground right beside him. They were silent for a moment, staring out at the water.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about?" she finally asked him after almost five minutes of pure silence. This time he did jump, almost like he was startled out of whatever tangent his mind had carried itself off on.

"Right, yeah, sorry," he said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "Kinda went into my own world there for a second. But yeah, I just wanted to talk to you."

"I assumed that," she said with an amused grin. Oliver wasn't one to trip over his words or be embarrassed. He blushed heavily and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yes, well…" He was a fool, oh Merlin. She was laughing at him. He utterly ruined it. He had to save himself and quick. "I was just, uh… I just thought…"

"Yes?" she asked almost too hurriedly. Now she sounded eager and desperate, great.

Quickly he blurted out, "Can you be my tutor for Transfiguration and Muggle Studies?"

Silence. Andy blinked.

Definitely not asking her to Hogsmeade then.

She made a mental note to hit Mione with a hair-frizzing charm.

"Um, what?" she finally replied lamely.

Mentally cursing himself, Oliver put on a very fake grin and carried on his lie. "Yeah! Hermione mentioned those were two of your best subjects so I thought that maybe you could give me a little hand, everyone knows you're far more intelligent than most of the witches and wizards in my year anyways."

"Oh… thank you," she said in surprise at his accidental compliment. Maybe this wasn't so bad. He blushed yet again as he realized what he just said but she just beamed at him. "Of course I'll tutor you, Oliver. What are friends for, yeah?"

"Yeah," he replied softly. He was a right fool, he had the perfect opportunity and he blew it. But on the bright side, he did get her to agree to spend more time with him which was a plus in his mind, and he really did need help with those classes so it wasn't really a full lie.

"So when are you free to meet up to study together? I know you're busy with quidditch a lot but I'm free all day after four and I have a free hour between eleven and twelve," she told him as she looked at the cloudy sky, grateful for the cool weather. He watched her tilt her head back and close her eyes, smiling up at the gentle rays of sunlight, and he very nearly forgot to reply.

"Oh, uh, right, um…" he said as he struggled to regroup his thoughts. "Eleven to twelve works and maybe eight to ten, if you're still awake."

She snorted and gave a short laugh. "If I'm still awake? More like as long as you're still awake after practice on top of trying to keep up with all your other classes."

"So eleven to twelve and then eight to ten?" he asked again for confirmation and she nodded with a smile. As Oliver got up and brushed off his quidditch robes (that he should really change out of), he realized how much more interesting the year just became.

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	3. Meddling Preteens and Annoying Ancestors

**Our eyes were closed  
With hearts open wide  
Dismissed every rule to abide by  
Our bodies undressed the layers of shy  
Revealing the truth that was buried inside**

 **-MisterWives; Reflections**

 **Meddling Preteens and Annoying Ancestors**

"What do you know about Polyjuice Potion?" was the first thing out of Hermione's mouth when she sat down across from Andy at their favourite library table. Andy raised an eyebrow and looked at Hermione before throwing up Muffliato, something that had become all too common for their conversations.

"Why do I feel like that if I help you, I'll be assisting in one of your 'adventures' like you tricked me into doing last year?" she said giving Mione a stern look that made the younger girl's cheeks flush with heat. The previous year, the girl had asked her odd questions about Nicholas Flamel and his life's work and next thing she knows, they're destroying the Philosopher's Stone, burning their DADA professor alive, and facing Voldemort. She wasn't going to allow the three second years to stumble into anything like that again, at least not without sufficient backup.

"I promise it isn't as serious as it was last year… yet," the twelve-year old tacked on at the end. If it were possible, Andy's eyebrows would've raised even higher.

"Hermione..." she began to warn the younger girl before she stopped herself. Hermione was a Ravenclaw at heart and Andy knew that. The girl was going to do this one way or another, the best thing she could do is make sure she does it in a semi-safe manner. She sighed heavily before saying, "I can show you how to brew it but it does take a long time."

"You know how to brew it from memory?" Hermione asked in surprise but Andy just shrugged.

"I like practicing Potions over the summer and it's not like Snape even minds, as long as it's just me. So where are we doing this?" she asked her, attempting to change the subject. Hermione hopped up and began stuffing Andy's stuff in her bag for her.

"This way!" she practically sang as she dragged the older girl along with her. Andy laughed and rolled her eyes. She was suddenly glad she spent as much time with Hermione as she did.

She ended up dragging her to the first floor girls' lavatory and when they came in, Harry poked his head out of a stall and his eyes went wide. "Hermione, you said you were doing research!"

"I did one better, thank you very much!" she huffed in return, crossing her arms as Ron also poked his head out to see what was going on. Andy decided to diffuse the situation before they killed each other.

"Look, my name is Andy, I'm a fifth year Ravenclaw and a friend of Mione's. She asked for more information on the Polyjuice potion but I told her that I know how to make it _without_ a textbook to look at," Andy told them, using her I-am-older-and-therefore-you-should-listen-to-me voice.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Ron said suspiciously, causing Andy to give him a look like he was mental.

"Ronald, how many bloody times have I spent the day, or a few days, at your house in the past four years? I was there when you first really used magic and you want to question my loyalty?" Andy asked him incredulously, laughing humourlessly and rolling her eyes. "You would think I walked into a bloody snake pit instead of a lion's den."

"Okay, okay, we get it," Harry said to calm everyone down. He looked Andy dead in the eye and asked, "Will you help us?"

She rolled her eyes yet again and uncrossed her arms that she subconsciously folded, almost mirroring Mione. She strolled forward, shooed them out of the stall, and then kneeled on the ground, rolling up her sleeves. As she began to sort through the ingredients they had already gathered, she replied, "Obviously. I don't need a couple of second-year lion cubs dying on my watch because they didn't properly brew a bloody potion. What kind of person would I be?"

From then on, she went to the first floor lavatory every day to check on the potion's progress and when she wasn't watching it, one of the Golden Trio was. Ron was a wee bit annoying, more so than most of the rest of his siblings, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. He knew better than to challenge her though and Harry had already learned that if he wanted to get far in life, he needed allies, not just friends. Andy smirked to herself when she realized she was imparting some of her more Slytherin-like ethics upon the young lion cubs but in her defense, they were going to need it if they were going to keep sticking their nose into places it didn't belong. Other than her mini-lessons on how to not be a knight-in-shining-armour all the time and when they needed to communicate something concerning the potion, the second-year boys didn't really talk to Andy and she didn't try to talk to them. A month passed and the lions beat the snakes by a landslide in the first match of the season for quidditch which put Oliver in high spirits during their study sessions, despite the fact that Professor Nitwit turned Harry's arm to jelly right after the game whilst trying to "fix" his broken arm. It was nearly a month later by the time the Polyjuice was beginning to finish up and right in time for the second-years' deviant plan as Professor McGonagall was beginning to take names for the students who were staying at the castle over the break. The Weasley clan opted to stay, as did Hermione, Lee, and Oliver. Andy and Harry didn't have a choice so they both gave McGonagall an exasperated look when she even bothered to ask if they were staying.

After lunch that day, the Golden Trio plus their newfound mentor made their way to their usual lavatory after Andy passed along a message asking them to all meet her. After she found out that they planned to steal from Professor Snape, she decided to loot her own personal stores because the last she needed was for the Potions master to be on their trail. When the twelve-year-olds finally made their way to Moaning Myrtle's lavatory, Andy was already their sorting out the last few ingredients. Hermione kneeled on the ground in front of Andy and studied the ingredients she had brought. Ron leaned against the wall and Harry stood next to him with his arms crossed. Hermione finally piped up and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Let's just say that I found out that a certain few second years were going to attempt to steal from the Potions master," she said, shooting them all a look that made them look down in shame and embarrassment at being caught. "I decided to bring the ingredients from my own personal store of Potions ingredients."

Harry finally swallowed the shame and asked, "So how much longer now?"

"Maybe three more weeks, maybe less, who knows. Not too much longer though," Andy said as she began adding the last couple of needed ingredients. He nodded and then exchanged a look with his two best friends whilst Andy pretended to not notice. She then wiped her hands on her skirt and stood up. "Just keep stirring it like you have been but keep a closer eye on it, this is the tricky stage. These types of potions can be incredibly finicky so if anything goes wrong, I will need to know immediately, okay?"

"No problem, thank you, Andy," Harry told her sincerely. He knew this process would be one of the more nerve-wracking parts of their plan as it was also the most vital, therefore he didn't bother arguing with her or even pretending to be stubborn. They had gotten lucky with the fact that Hermione happened to be friends with a fifth year Ravenclaw who apparently makes advanced potions so often that she memorizes them. Without her careful supervision, they probably would've ruined the potion a long time ago. She nodded to him and then took her leave, heading to her actual Potions class.

Andy's life soon fell back into a normal rhythm. She had all her coursework down (school was always the last of her concerns), her study sessions with Oliver became more about the two of them laughing hysterically over the antics of their friends as well as people-watching in the library, she checked on the Polyjuice potion at least once a day (typically around noon, on her way from her study session with Oliver to her Transfiguration class), she began also mentoring a first-year Ravenclaw who went by the name Luna (she was spacey but one of the best Ravenclaws that Andy had seen in a long time), and she occasionally wrote to the diary, just to see if it was still being a stubborn ass. As it was, the book refused to give up any information and so did she.

Yet despite this comfortable pattern, it couldn't last. Luna and Andy were heading back into the castle after an invigorating swim in the Black Lake where Andy had just introduced her youngest charge to the different indigenous species of the Lake. Like with everything, Luna took to all of them with ease and even eagerness. She loved all things strange which made her Andy's favourite Ravenclaw. As they walked through the front doors to the Great Hall, they couldn't help but to overhear certain tidbits of information, especially when those whispered tidbits kept saying "Harry Potter" and "Parseltongue" and other words that shouldn't not be going together.

When they sat down, Andy turned to a younger Ravenclaw, she couldn't remember her name, and asked, "Hey so what's all this about Potter?"

The second-year girl's eyes went wide as she looked back and forth between Luna and Andy herself and then leaned closer and whispered, "He controlled a snake and even told it to attack Justin Fitch-Fletchley. People are saying he's the heir to the chamber!"

Andy scoffed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the news. While it was startling that the boy managed to speak Parseltongue, a skill that very few had, she highly doubted he had set a snake upon a boy, even if he was a bloody Hufflepuff. She quickly ate before excusing herself and making her way to the girls' lavatory where they were brewing the potion. She hadn't seen the boy at dinner with his two friends so she assumed he was either using watching the potion as his excuse, was flying around the quidditch pitch to clear his mind, or hiding in his dorm. When a head of unruly black hair peeked out of the stall at the sound of her heels against the tile floors, she knew her first assumption had been correct. When he realized it was the older girl, he relaxed and slumped back against the stall wall. She leaned against the opposite wall and looked at with narrowed, contemplative eyes and crossed arms. "You good, kid?"

He shrugged and kept his eyes on the bubbling potion. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "I don't really know." He looked up at her with confusion flooding his eyes and asked her, "Do you think I'm evil too?"

She didn't say anything at first but she shook her head immediately. She stayed silent as she formulated her thoughts. When she felt like she knew what to say, she opened her mouth and replied, "No, you are most definitely not evil. Rash and naïve, yes, but not evil. What you have is a very special skill called Parseltongue, the language of the snakes. It was a gift first started by Salazar Slytherin himself and it's been passed down for generations all through his successors. Being a Potter, which is a rather old Pureblood family, you more than likely have some Slytherin blood in you, which would explain why you have this skill," she explained to him. She took care to perfect every word before it even left her throat.

"So I'm not evil?" he asked, his voice still smaller than what she had grown accustomed to. She nodded to him, arms still crossed as she looked at him and he finally met her gaze.

"You are not evil. Being a Parseltongue doesn't make you evil, same way being a Slytherin isn't synonymous with evil. We all have good and evil in us, it's just which side we _choose_ to act upon that makes a difference. You are a good person, Harry, and I refuse to believe you set a snake upon someone, especially a fellow student," she told him firmly. He nodded slowly as she talked and gave her a small smile when she finished. He nodded at her to show that he understood and she nodded once back before pushing herself off the wall and beginning to walk away.

"Hey, Andy?" he called after her. She stopped and looked over her should with an eyebrow raised. He gave her a barely-there smile and said, "Thank you. For everything."

She grinned at him and nodded yet again before walking away. Now that she solved that issue, she made her way to the library to get a jump on her Potions essay that was due next week as well as her essay for Transfiguration. What she didn't anticipate was for the ghost of her lovely ancestor to pop up right in front of her, nearly causing her to scream aloud. The issue with him is that no one, save for all the headmasters and maybe one or two choice few students, knew his spirit resided in the castle. If the other ghosts knew, they refused to speak on it. He gave her a look and she sighed, knowing those essays were going to have to wait. He turned and floated quickly down the empty corridor and she paced quickly to keep up with him. She huffed as he continued to not speak to her and said, "What did I do this time?"

"Just keep up, child," he said in a tone colder than usual, which means she messed up somehow. She sighed yet again but kept up with him as best as she could as he weaved through the corridors and down side halls that were so small and worn down that she was sure they hadn't been touched in ages. She knew the path to their secret room just as well as he did which was saying something seeing as he had nearly a thousand years to wander these halls over and over again. After what felt like an hour of walking, they finally reached the portrait of the Lady Ravenclaw, dusty and hidden at the very end of a darkened offshoot of a larger corridor. Andy knew that not a single student had been down this way since the 40s and no one had been inside the chamber since it was built, besides herself of course. He floated right on through but she said, "Wit and ambition beyond comprehension overrule valour and loyal devotion."

Her patron lady dipped her head and smiled at the girl and swung open to reveal Andy's favourite hidey spot. Inside, there were four ghosts. One pouty, one calculating, one silently fuming, and the last horrendously optimistic. Andy scrunched her nose at the ray of sunshine that was Helga Hufflepuff. She wasn't a huge fan that particular Founder but she was nicer to her than she was to Godric, that was for sure. Rowena had her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed as she did some sort of calculation in her mind, the wheels in her brain reflecting through her eyes. Godric was pouting and whispering about how ridiculous the password was to Helga who was just shaking her head sweetly at him. Andy absolutely despised that man. But then there was her Merlin-only-knows-how-great-grandfather who had his eyes narrowed at her but for a completely different reason than Rowena. Andy sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"What did I do now?" she almost whined for the second time. She hadn't gotten in trouble since her Grandfather found out that she had befriended a Muggleborn and it had taken quite some convincing to get him to even stop saying the word Mudblood. His eyes narrowed even further and Godric groaned. You would think being over a thousand years old, the man would know how to not be childish but if anything, his behaviour worsened every year as he picked up new slang from each new wave of first years by hanging around them when they weren't paying much attention.

"You are putting yourself right in the middle of that foolish Potter boy's schemes and heroics. Those damned Gryffindors will be the death of my line, I swear it!" her Grandfather ranted as he floated back and forth in a pacing motion. Godric rolled his eyes at how his House had been singled out but graciously chose to remain silent. "First you're sorted into a House that isn't Slytherin, the first in your entire lineage at that, then you become a mentor to blood traitors, then you decided to take on a Mud-Muggleborn child as practically your apprentice, and now this!"

"It's your bloody chamber," she shot back under her breath, looking at the ground as he let off his steam. She could feel the scathing glare he threw her but she didn't have the naïve bravery to meet his eyes. That was like asking to be verbally beaten from here until next year.

"That does not mean you go sticking your nose in it!" he reprimanded her. "I made the mistake of showing that bloody boy where it was and I have regretted it since. Now it has once again opened and come back to haunt me and my own granddaughter is acting rather foolish, borderline Gryffindor, and attempting to stop the creature herself!"

"In my defense, I wasn't really doing it on my own," she shot back. She knew she was being a smartass but her Grandfather could be a right pain at times. He glared at her and faced her completely.

"Oh? That's why you didn't tell that group of second years that have been nosing for information that you already know what it is? That's why they had no idea you had done side research and found it that first night?" he was being just as much of a smartass as she was but he was much better at it because her cheeks blushed a right red. Rowena floated forward and looked over her shoulder with an arched eyebrow, daring Grandfather to say one more word and he immediately snapped his incorporeal jaw shut. The ghost stopped right in front of the sixteen-year-old girl. The girl had been shown to this chamber when she first was allowed to wander by herself—when she was around five—so over the years, all of the Founders had seen her grow and with each passing year, the girl became more and more a perfect medley of all of the Founders although she only had blood relation to one of them.

"While we believe that helping Harry Potter in his journey is important, possibly even vital, you cannot put your own life at risk just to help a foolhardy trio of Gryffindors," the woman explained to her slowly, as if trying to give her time to process the words. Andy nodded, she knew the Founder was right but she was confused as to how her helping them make the Polyjuice Potion and reading on what they could possibly encounter was putting her neck on the line.

"It has nothing to do with the research or Potions mentoring, it's that damned diary," her Grandfather told her, almost spitting the words as he shook his head, rage evident on his face. "You keep playing with it like it's some bloody toy. What are you expecting, that the darkest and evilest wizard we've seen in ages is just going to give you his secrets like they're nothing?"

 _Ah,_ she thought to herself, _so that's what this is about._ She sighed and replied with, "I don't know what I'm expecting, I'm just kinda hoping he gives up something sooner or later."

"You're playing with fire, girl," he growled at her and she rolled her eyes even though she knew he was right.

"Papa himself said that Voldemort wouldn't hurt me, how much danger could I really be in?" She knew it was a pathetic argument but she didn't like backing down. Before she could blink, her Grandfather was right in front of her face, seething with pure fury.

"How much danger could you be in?!" Before he could finish, Rowena pulled him back and gave him a look, sending him to the opposite end of the chamber to cool off. She then looked at Andy and gave her a reprimanding look that made Andy shrink a bit. Her patron founder then said, "Andraste, you know good and well that there are many things worse than bodily harm."

"I know," she said as she deflated. "I can't just stop talking to it though, we have to find where the chamber is."

"You could've just asked where the bloody chamber was," her Grandfather threw at her from the other side of the room. She looked at him in surprise.

"I assumed you wouldn't reveal that to me," she told him, shock evident in her tone.

The one-thousand-year-old ghost rolled his eyes at her, a bad habit he picked up from her, and said, "That's the problem with your younger generations. You assume too much."

"What were you planning to do with the information?" Helga asked curiously, breaking her silence. Andy was silent then, trying to figure out what she would do with that information. She made eye contact with her Grandfather and he gave her a certain look and a nod. She then looked back at Helga and said, "I'm going to make her go back to sleep."

"Excuse me, did you just say you were going to make a basilisk go to sleep?" Godric asked her like she was mad. She nodded and brushed the imaginary dust off her sleeve, avoiding eye contact. "And how do you think you're going to manage that?"

"She's a Slytherin," her Grandfather snapped before looking at his granddaughter with something akin to approval. "Not the pathetic, whining excuse for a House I have now but my flesh and blood. She knows what she has to do."

Rowena understood and Helga caught on but it wasn't surprising that Godric still thought they all lost their minds. With that, Andy gestured dramatically to the door and her Grandfather floated past her and through the portrait. Andy followed with the other Founders trailing behind like opaque ducklings. As they approached the busier corridors, the founders became even more transparent than usual but just visible enough for her to be able to follow. They thankfully only passed three people but none of them were paying any attention to them. It was then that she realized they were heading in a very familiar direction. Her assumption ended up being correct—take that Grandfather—when her Grandfather floated into the first floor girls' lavatory where she was an hour ago. Harry once again poked his head out and his brow furrowed when he saw Andy who was surrounded by four barely-there ghosts.

"Andy?" he asked in confusion. Andy shook her head at him.

"Tell it to open, child," her Grandfather told her, waiting next to a particular sink. Moaning Myrtle was peeking over a stall but refused to speak out of fear for the much older ghosts. Seeing how nervous Myrtle was around Andy's new friends, Harry took the girl's silent advice and didn't make a noise. Andy then turned to the sink and whispered something that sounded vaguely like hissing, the same hissing he heard the night of Mrs. Norris' attack. It was when the other male ghost waved and grinned at him and the man who had spoken first shot him a nasty look that he realized who he was looking at. His eyes went wide as he watched that sink slowly descend into the floor, revealing a gaping hole in the floor in the center of the ring of sinks. His eyes went even wider than before. That was it, the chamber. She opened the chamber which made her…

He swallowed heavily and waited until she jumped down the hole after the floating Founders before he ran as fast as his scrawny legs could take him to get Dumbledore.

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	4. New Pets and Old Prejudices

I **f I told you what I was,  
Would you turn your back on me?  
And if I seem dangerous,  
Would you be scared?**

 **-Imagine Dragons; Monster**

 **New Pets and Old Prejudices**

Her black leather shoes shined with whatever liquid was coating the stone floors and the tap-tap-tapping noise from her heels bounced off the wall. Grandfather led the way through the identical, winding tunnels, all of which were perfectly circular and large enough to fit something three times the height of Andy herself. She tried to act like that wasn't something that bothered her. She loved snakes but basilisks were completely different creatures. They were ten times smarter and at least a billion times larger. She wasn't quite sure how this last remaining pet of her Grandfather's was going to react to her. When they came upon a large circular vault door, she was instructed to tell it to open yet again and a singular metal snake activated and rotated around until one by one, the other metal snakes on the door clicked into place and it swung open. Grandfather floated right on in, looking about and taking note of any changes. Andy was in awe of the gothic beauty of the underground chamber. The ceiling was stories above her and a great stone carving of her ancestor's face was in the wall dead in the center of the room, directly ahead of her. The mouth was closed but she could see lines in the carving that showed that the jaw could drop so she assumed she would have to ask it to open yet again. She walked down the smooth, obsidian floors with Rowena, Godric, and Helga looking around themselves behind her and Grandfather floating confidently in front of her. When they finally reached the front of the chamber where the floor opened up to a large empty space right beneath the stone carving.

"How like you to make the centerpiece your own face," Rowena said sarcastically, looking at her ancient friend with a raised eyebrow. If he was capable of blushing, the Slytherin would have been the color of a tomato.

"Yes, well I wasn't exactly known to be the most humble person when I was alive," he muttered as he looked everywhere but the other four people in the chamber.

"When you were alive?" Godric shot back with a shocked look on his face, earning him a glare from Salazar.

"Tell her to come to you," he told Andy, looking at the mouth expectantly as he effectively ended the conversation. She swallowed nervously and said, " _Come to me."_

Instantly, the jaw creaked as it slowly lowered and she could hear the faint hissing as something large slithered its way towards them through the large gaping tunnel in the mouth of the carving. Soon, she could see her face as she slid out of the tunnel and plopped on the ground and she realized that up close, she wasn't all that terrifying at all. Being a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself, the serpent recognized her immediately as well as her master, who was floating next to the new human child. He looked at her with adoration and even smiled for her and she dipped her head to him before swinging her massive head to look at the young human female. Andy looked at her curiously although she also noted in the back of her mind that this creature could swallow her whole without batting an eyelid. The creature dipped her head and Andy had a startling realization that the creature wanted her to pet her. Hesitantly, the serpent could taste the nervousness rolling off the girl in waves, she placed her hand gently between the serpent's eyes. She held very still until the serpent's eyelids flicked closed lazily and then opened back up, looking dead at her without a hint of hostility in her eyes. She stroked the scales gently and smiled softly when the serpent nudged her hand gently, almost like a cat. Andy positively beamed at her Grandfather when she looked over him. Behind her, she heard Godric quietly say, "It doesn't look nearly as terrifying as it did fifty years ago and I'm actually pretty sure she's gotten bigger since then."

"Did you ever name her, Salazar?" Rowena asked curiously as she floated closer to the creature. The ghost shook his head as he looked at the creature.

"I didn't appreciate her when I was alive half as much as I do now," he told them as he stood next to the creature who has been his pet for nearly a thousand years. He then looked at Andy and said, "She is yours now. It's your right to name her."

"Mine?" she answered in shock. All she wanted to do was come down here, tell the mythical beast of Slytherin to take a nap, and suddenly she had a thousand-year-old pet who was larger than most houses. She was silent for a long moment before finally she said, "Æthelinda."

"Beautiful," Rowena commented, still circling the massive creature, surveying her up close.

"I'll call her Æthel for short," Andy decided as she continued to stroke the giant serpent's nose. Then she remembered her original purpose down here and put her hands on either side of Æthel's face and said in Parseltongue, " _I need you to leave the students alone okay? I need you to stay down here. Regardless of what anyone else tries to tell you, stay down here until I tell you to do otherwise. Okay?"_

" _Yes, Mistress,"_ Æthel responded, her forked tongue lightly tickling Andy's cheek causing her to giggle. The large serpent then slowly made her way back into the tunnel where she had slept for the past five decades and for nearly nine centuries before that. When the jaw closed shut behind her tail, Andy let out a large breath and looked at her Grandfather. "Well that was-"

"Andraste, might I ask what in the world you are doing down here?" Andy jumped about a foot in the air and whipped around to see her Papa striding towards them with The Smile on his face. The Smile was this look he gave her that looked like his normal, mystical smile but to anyone who really knew him, it was a smile that radiated pure irritation. As in, Andy was about to get the verbal beating of a lifetime.

"Albus," the Founders chorused, Salazar less than pleased to have the former Gryffindor in his most private chamber. Papa dipped his head to them but his stride never faltered.

"Salazar, Godric, Rowena, Helga… Might I ask what in the name of Merlin were you thinking?" The Founders even jumped a bit at the open hostility in his tone but Rowena and Salazar recovered the quickest, both making noises of disbelief.

"Pardon me?" Salazar hissed at the, technically younger, man.

"What were you thinking bringing a sixteen-year-old down to this derelict chamber to face a beast she has no skill in attempting to fight?" he asked them, his tone demanding an answer. Knowing she shouldn't but not really thinking before she acted, Andy shot back with, "But am I injured?"

If looks could kill, she would've burst into flames at the look her Papa threw her. Rowena, always the mediator, stepped in and said, "Albus, has it not occurred to you that you are going entirely too far? The girl is the last living heir of Salazar Slytherin, she has the gift to control great beasts such as the basilisk. If anything, she just saved you a whole lot of trouble and saved the last remaining basilisk from being slain. Why punish her for that?"

"Because she put herself in unforeseen danger without alerting anyone. She is lucky Mr. Potter saw her and thought to tell me, for all we could've known, she could've died down here!" The raging Headmaster managed somehow to keep his voice under yelling level. He finally closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "Come, Andraste. We will discuss this further in my office."

With that, she gave a single wave to the Founders who just had to float upwards since they could pass right through the ceiling. They all gave her a sympathetic nod except for her Grandfather. He gave her look that simply told her to be strong and then nodded and led his co-founders away. Papa didn't speak to her as they made their way out of the large chamber and found their way through the large, twisting tunnels. When they reached the ascending tunnel, Papa didn't even waste the energy and used a nonverbal spell to propel them upwards. They landed on the grimy tile of the first floor girls' lavatory with the Golden Trio looking at them with varying levels of caution and wariness. Harry narrowed his eyes at the older girl as she landed gracefully with a slightly put-out expression. He no longer trusted her now that he realized that she was the heir, she was the one causing all the issues around the castle. All this time, it had been her and she had been pretending to be their friend, offering her help freely, no doubt in order to cast suspicion off herself. Who would suspect the calm, under-the-radar granddaughter of the headmaster? But of course that meant the headmaster wasn't her real grandfather…

"Ah hello there Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger. Would you care to join myself and Andraste here in my office for a brief moment?" he asked them with that look in his eyes that said that they really had no choice but to accept. In silence, all of them fell in line behind the headmaster who walked alongside Andy. She was silent but she held her head high, like she had done nothing wrong, which served to further anger Ron and Harry. Hermione was more cautious of making a judgement of the older girl who had been nothing but helpful and kind to her. It had to be some sort of misunderstanding. Harry and Ron were just hotheaded Gryffindors through and through. In a single file line, they ascended the spiral staircase that led to the headmaster's office. The headmaster went straight to his chair behind his desk and Andy perched atop his desk like she typically did when she was in the office. The Golden Trio took to the chairs in front of the desk and sat there, looking at the headmaster for some sort of an explanation. He smiled mysteriously at them and locked his fingers together, resting his chin atop them. Finally, he said, "I'm sure you three have plenty of questions."

Immediately Harry jumped out of his chair and began pointing and yelling accusatorily at Andy. "She's one of them, sir! You can't allow her to stay here, she was planning to attack all the Muggleborns!"

"How do you know she was going to attack anyone?" the headmaster asked the boy with the same smile on his face. Harry sputtered for a second in his righteous fury, in disbelief that Dumbledore would even ask that.

"She's clearly the heir, she was able to access the chamber! Which means she's the one controlling the beast!" he yelled at the headmaster, glaring at the girl who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. The headmaster's smile didn't falter or even change but his eyebrow also quirked up, mirroring the girl's expression.

"She isn't the only heir, Mr. Potter. Now if you could please watch your tone," the headmaster warned. Harry immediately deflated and flopped back in his seat in all his surly twelve-year-old glory. When he was positive that the boy wasn't going to interrupt, the headmaster sat up straighter and began with, "You are correct in assuming that Andraste is the heir of Slytherin as Salazar Slytherin is her ancestor. Her parentage is not something which we have decided to make public at this point but one of the only other living members of the Slytherin line is Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. who is more commonly known as Lord Voldemort."

The three children gasped and looked at Andraste in horror and the girl flinched, not expecting Papa to reveal that much. "She's related to that monster?"

"Just like every pureblood family is related to every other pureblood family, yes Harry. Please try to keep your prejudice to a minimum if you could," Andy snapped, hiding her discomfort under her irritation.

"How could you possibly claim someone like her! How could you possibly protect her like this!" Harry yelled at the headmaster, once again pointing accusatorily at the older girl. Andy opened her mouth to give a scathing reply but Hermione beat her to it.

"Harry, please shut up!" the girl yelled at her friend, visibly distressed by all the commotion. "Will you please just shut up, sit down, and let Professor Dumbledore finish?"

Harry glared at the girl but once again sunk into his seat and closed his mouth. Papa gave Hermione a small smile and then continued with his explanation. "As I was saying, Andraste is related to the Noble House of Slytherin through her parents but when she was younger, no one had any idea that she even existed until a… a group of rebels fighting back against the Dark Lord in the war raided the home of her parents and found her, left there with just a house elf as a nanny as her parents were out on their own mission. The group took the girl and she was brought to me, barely five years old. I decided then to take her in and become her guardian. For the first three years, she constantly requested to go see her parents in Azkaban until her eighth birthday when her father verbally attacked her, reducing her to tears and ultimately cutting her ties to her family. From that day, she became Andraste Dumbledore, my granddaughter. We changed her hair colour and when she became old enough, she began wearing makeup and even asked the Sorting Hat to not put her into Slytherin because she wants nothing to do with her family."

"Blimey…" Ron mumbled under his breath. "And I thought my family was rough…"

"Indeed, but at least your parents love you and weren't Death Eaters," Andy replied, trying her best to beat back her sarcastic tone. Ron gave her an apologetic grimace.

"Sorry about that," he told her, his ears turning red. Hermione nodded solemnly and added, "As am I, Andy. You've been nothing but kind and helpful and I should've known and trusted you."

"It's okay, I imagine finding out that the Dark Lord has any relatives can be an incredible shock to anyone's system," Andy told them with a shrug. Harry was still silent, studying his hands. Papa looked at him for a moment before finishing the story.

"Anyways, due to her relation to the late founder of Slytherin house, she is also able to control the beast which is a basilisk. All descendants of Salazar Slytherin can speak to snakes so Andraste knew that she was the only one in the castle that could possibly stop the attacks from becoming worse. Knowing this, her ancestor, as the Founders do still haunt this castle but typically choose to not reveal themselves, sought her out and helped her find the Chamber and then officially passed the basilisk on to her, as the beast was his last companion before he died. Once Andraste received full ownership of the basilisk, she no longer can listen to any other heir, regardless of whether or not they speak Parseltongue, as she now belongs to Andraste. Since Andraste told her to go back into hibernation, the beast has gone back into hibernation and will not awake until Andraste tells her to." Andy figured Papa had been watching a lot longer than he originally let on and apparently knew a lot more about what happened than she did because not even she knew how ownership over basilisks worked but then again, she learned a long time ago to just not question Papa. The three second years were dead silent as they fully processed everything.

"So… she saved everyone?" Harry asked quietly. Papa nodded with a knowing smile and Andy just shook her head. Prejudice was the most annoying thing to her, even though she was occasionally guilty of being prejudiced against Hufflepuffs. "I'm so sorry, Andy…"

Andy's head shot up and she looked at the boy in surprise. She hadn't been expecting him to actually apologize. She blinked rapidly as she processed the information before she finally said, "It's no big deal, don't worry about it."

The office was silent and it was slowly becoming awkward before Ron straightened up, clapped, and said, "Well this entire mess has made me hungry. Dinner, anyone?"

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	5. Hungry Pets and Escaped Prisoners

**I say we rob from the rich  
and blow down the door.  
On to the next  
to dance with the poor.**

 **-AWOLNATION; Jump On My Shoulders**

 **Hungry Pets and Escaped Prisoners**

The next week, it became common knowledge that the Golden Trio plus Andy were the ones who solved the mystery of the Chamber. No one knew how although Andy had a suspicion that it had something to do with Meddling Moaning Myrtle. Regardless, people were singing their praises all of the second semester when they returned from winter break to the point that Andy typically went to and from classes with a Disillusionment charm cast so no one would try to talk to her. The one time she did let someone talk to her was on accident. She was sitting beside the lake finishing an essay on a decently warm day in March when she heard a voice behind her say, "There you are."

She jumped and looked over her shoulder to see Oliver standing behind her, smiling. "You scared the life out of me, Oliver. What are you up to?"

"Looking for you, honestly. You've been hiding," he accused her playfully as he sat beside her. She smiled and finished the last sentence of her essay before rolling it back up and tucking it safely in her bag.

"Yeah, everything's been so crazy lately, I'm not a big fan of attention," she told him, shrugging as she leaned back against the tree roots. He nodded in understanding, sitting with his knees up, his arms wrapped loosely around them. She studied him as he just stared at the flat expanse of the lake.

"I can't believe next year is it for me," he told her softly. Andy looked at him curiously and for once, he wasn't the upbeat Gryffindor quidditch captain who was top in his class and never messed up even once. For once, he was just a boy and he looked just as unsure talking about the future as Andy felt about it.

"I still have two more but I know what you mean. It's kind of scary, honestly. I haven't really thought much of what I want to do after this. I honestly might just stay on here and become a professor, maybe take over Muggle Studies or History of Magic, something like that," she told him as she looked up at the sky. He looked back at her and grinned.

"Really? You want to be a professor?" he asked her. She could already hear the teasing so she rolled her eyes and snappily responded with, "Yes? Is there a problem with that?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I just mean that it's definitely something I can see you doing," he told her, looking her dead in the eyes so he could see that he was being honest. She relaxed and smiled softly, letting her walls back down.

"I just like teaching and History of Magic needs a new professor," she told him, smirking as she remembered how confused Professor Binns had been when she told him that she might be teaching the class in a few years. "That, or I might petition to start a new class here for the Muggleborns and half-bloods who don't know much about the wizarding world."

"Blimey… That sounds brilliant, I'm sure that could be a really popular class," he told her in awe. She blushed lightly and looked away to stare at the castle. "So about those study dates…"

"Oh Merlin! I am so sorry Oliver, I totally forgot!" she exclaimed as she sat up, looking at him in horror. He laughed playfully and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's okay Andy, really. It's just with exams coming up, I really need your help," he admitted to her. She smiled at him and nodded. He returned the smile and then looked down nervously. "Also there's something else I want to ask you."

"Oh? What's up?" she asked, braiding a couple strands of grass together.

"WouldyouliketogotoHogsmeadewithmethisweekend?" he asked all in one breath, his cheeks turning bright red. She looked up in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" He took a deep breath and looked at the ground as he slowly repeated, "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

She blinked repeatedly and then she broke out in a grin, looking down as well to hide her smile and said, "Yeah that sounds fun."

His head shot up and looked at her in shock, almost as if he didn't expect her to say yes. She gave him a shy smile and an unbelievable grin stretched across his face. "Okay. Yeah. Awesome. So I'll see you in front of the castle in the morning?"

"Yeah sounds great to me," she replied as she stood up, brushing her skirt off. "Lunch?"

He hopped up and nodded, making sure no grass clung to his pants before he started to walk alongside her. The whole way up to the castle, they talked about their plans for after Hogwarts and where they wanted to go in life. It was that day that she realized how well together he had his life and it made her feel like she could do all the same things, like she could be normal.

The following weeks proved to be just as stressful as Andy knew they would be, full of examinations and prying eyes. Yet when the final feast came, Andy found that she wasn't as thinly spread as she felt. She felt like she did well on her exams and unlike at the beginning of the year, she had expanded her friend group. She still didn't quite like Harry or Ron after they so quickly jumped to the assumption that she was some villain but she was passive about it and remained cordial with them. Her and Oliver maintained a steady routine of dates and study sessions but still hadn't solidified their relationship publicly. The Terrible Trio had, even more so, become her little brothers at Hogwarts as she mentored them in their pranking ways whilst staying out of the line of fire all at the same time. Ginny Weasley bashfully apologized to the girl for her previous actions and Andy accepted that she was just a shy girl who was under the influence of a much greater entity. Luna Lovegood, albeit incredibly shy and aloof from most of the other students, opened up to Andy and accepted her teaching and mentoring and became her one friend in her own house. And as for Hermione Granger, the girl was indeed like her own little sister and Andy felt like, despite their very different personalities, she was still an amazing friend.

So as she ate chocolate pudding with Luna, laughing hysterically at something the younger girl said, with her Gryffindorks sitting on the bench right behind them so they could turn around and talk as well, she realized how good her life was.

As she waved goodbye to her friends walking off to the train station, she smiled to herself. Now she could go back to running around the castle like the born and raised hellion she was. And now that she had Æthel waiting for her, she knew that she could never be bored. Ready for her two and a half months of free reign, she whooped and ran back into the castle, first making her way up to her own private quarters in her papa's chambers. She preferred taking the back way, through a portrait of Salazar that led to her own personal staircase that took her straight to her room.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," she told him with a soft smile.

"Right you are," he responded with a nod and he swung open to reveal the staircase. She jogged up the stairs two at a time and popped out into her bright and open bedroom. Windows took up most of the wall space with thick purple drapes pulled back to let the light in. The floor was the same stone that she was used to feeling under her feet with a few fluffy rugs thrown on the floor for those early mornings when the floor was colder than the Artic in winter. Her bed was a perfect circle that sat in the center of her tower room, covered in a white duvet with black and purple designs swirling across it and matching pillow case covers for two of her five pillows. The other three were plain black to help tone it down a bit. Lining the bits of wall where there weren't windows were bookshelves overflowing with books and scrolls on every subject that had ever interested her. She didn't have a whole lot as far as decoration went but it was homey to her; she felt comfortable. Lying on top of one of the pillows was Amiya who opened one eye lazily to see what her Mistress was up to before closing it once again. Typically, Amiya was off poking about for and overhearing information that she constantly fed Andy to keep the girl in on the news of the castle but Andy usually let her have the summers off as nothing was really kept from her as long as other students aren't around. She scratched the black cat behind the ear as she kneeled down and pulled open one of the drawers in the frames holding up her bed and pulled out warmer clothes. If she was going to be going underground to see Æthel, she was going to need something a bit warmer that a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She waved her hand to close the curtains around her so she could change in privacy. After she slipped on the pair of jeans and the jumper, she put her curtains back to their open state before grabbing a book on medieval history in both the Wizarding world and the Muggle world and how they were intertwined.

When she deemed herself ready enough, she jogged back down the stairs and then made her way to the first floor girls lavatory where she found Moaning Myrtle lazily floating along, giggling at something. Andy paid no mind to her other than to roll her eyes at her when she shrieked at the sight of the living girl and dove off somewhere. She ordered the sinks open and they widened into the tunnel. Using a Descending spell like last time, she sunk into the tunnel and floated through the darkness until her feet touched the slimy ground. She scrunched her nose up at the horribly unkempt tunnels and waved her hand, disintegrating all the animal bones and vanishing the scum off the walls and floors. With another flourish, new candles appeared in the candle holders lining the walls and she lit them magically, filling the tunnels with warm, soft light. She did this to each branch of the tunnels until she finally made it to the door of the Chamber. She cleared the door of all grime and restored the glittering gems and shining metal to its original beauty and for a moment, she simply admired how the candlelight flickered and danced across the door before she finally asked it to open and climbed inside. The Chamber itself was perfectly clean and well-lit from last time and the statue's mouth was still closed so she walked up to it, making sure to stand back a good twenty meters, and asked the statue to open its mouth. She waited patiently as the stone lowered and she heard slithering approaching her. When Æthel's head finally poked out of the tunnel, she tasted the air and plopped on the stone ground, curling around Andy. The girl grinned at her companion and gently stroked her scales.

 _Hello, Mistress_ , the serpent said to her as she settled in a big coil with Andy at the center. She sat down and leaned back against her large body, wiggling to get comfortable.

 _Hello, Æthel. I'm sorry to wake you up so soon but all the sttudents have left and I don't have any other friends here besides the professors and I need a break from them_ , she told her companion as she opened up the text, feeling the grand serpent's forked tongue flick her ear affectionately.

 _That is quite fine, Mistress._ With that, the two companions fell into silence as Andy flipped through the book, absorbing all of the information that primarily concerned how the school was founded, Muggle wars and their expansion across Europe and Asia, and the fall of Merlin. They laid like that for a couple of hours until Andy made it to the middle of the book, at which point she glanced up at Æthel and asked, _You know, I never asked but what do you even eat?_

 _Well I was typically fed criminals, blood traitors, and those whom my old Master deemed unfit to live but I can feed off of large animals just as well,_ she replied, slight amusement in her tone. Andy shot her a look telling her that she wasn't funny in any way before settling back to think about it.

 _So like, some of the more dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest should do well, right?_ She asked, looking up again. Æthel flicked her cheek with her tongue and cocked her head to the side.

 _I have never been to this place but I assume so,_ she replied. Andy tapped her fingers on the cover of the book before hoisting herself to her feet and brushing off her jeans.

 _In that case, I need to go speak with Papa about having a hunting trip arranged. I'm sure you need food after all these years._ Andy pet the scales on the side of the serpent's face and pressed a soft kiss to her nose before standing still so she could uncoil. She didn't go back into the statue where she slept but instead laid there on the ground, watching Andy with her large eyes. She waved to her companion before she made her way out of the Chamber.

"Papa, I have a very strange request to ask of you." The old man looked up expectantly as his granddaughter came through the door to his office. Despite it being the beginning of June, the girl was covered head to toe with only her hands and face free of clothing. He raised an eyebrow at her apparel and gathered from it that she had been back to the Chamber.

"How can I help, child?" he asked her as he settled back against his chair. She came around and hopped up on his desk, swinging her legs as she chewed her lip.

"Æthel needs to hunt or she could very well starve to death and I was thinking, we could use her to clear out some of the more dangerous species in the Forest. If we give her a specific list of things she can't hunt then we might actually be able to rid the forest of the dangers it presents to students and maybe even be able to open it to interactive classes like Care of Magical Creatures instead of making it purely theoretical," Andy told him, doing her best to sound professional, like she knew exactly what she was talking about. In all seriousness, she knew it was going to be a long shot to get him to agree but she could only hope for the sake of her companion. Of course, if Papa said no, she could always j-

"That sounds like a rather brilliant and well-thought-out plan, my dear." Her train of thought stopped in its tracks at Papa's voice and she looked at him in bewilderment, like she almost couldn't even believe that he agreed.

 _Of course it's a brilliant plan, I thought of it myself,_ the prouder part of her brain thought smugly. She shook that off as she beamed at him. "You mean that, Papa?"

"Of course. Just give me a day to draw up the list of animals that need to be protected and to warn the professors when to be in their chambers so the serpent may freely leave the castle without causing any casualties," he told her with a soft smile. Andy dipped her head in thanks and hopped off the desk, skipping away to the stone staircase that led to her room, happy with how her summer break had started off.

"So have you heard?" Madam Pomona asked her, whispering conspiratorially to Andy at breakfast one day in late July as all the staff plus Andy sat at the long table they ate at during breaks. Andy shook her head with her newly dyed brown-tipped-blue locks falling in front of her face on accident, leaning closer to hear the older woman's voice clearly. "Sirius Black has escaped from prison!"

"What in the name Merlin?!" Andy exclaimed in a soft whisper, looking at Madam Pomona in shock and disbelief. The woman nodded sagely before shaking her head and sighing.

"What is this world coming to these days," she muttered rhetorically as she spread jam on a piece of toast. Andy nibbled on her scrambled egg as she considered what she was just told. Sirius Black…?

" _Sir, who is that?" a seven-year-old Andy asked her guardian as they walked to meet her parents, her small finger pointing to a gaunt man sitting in one of the cells, staring at them in disbelief._

" _That, my dear, is Sirius Black. A tragedy, that one. A victim of this war just like so many others," the old man told her as he placed his hand on her back to gently keep her going._

" _But I thought this was a bad place for bad people, Mister Dumbledore?" she asked him in confusion as her little feet struggled to keep up with his long strides. He sighed sadly as if he had some great burden upon his shoulders._

" _Yes but sometimes the people who are the judge of what is wrong and what is right get some things wrong," he told her._

She snapped out of her flashback as her Papa asked, "Andy, dear, have you given any more thought into the career you want to choose after next year?"

Clearing her throat and putting her typical smile on her face, she said, "Yes, actually. I have been considering it for years and I would actually like to either begin a new course here at Hogwarts specifically for Muggleborns and half-bloods or take over History of Magic from Mister Cuthbert, if that is okay with him and you, Papa."

"What new course did you have in mind?" Mister Severus asked her, much to her surprise. He actually looked curious at the sound of her suggestion.

"We could call it Wizarding Studies and I, if you would allow me the opportunity to begin the course, would teach Muggleborns, half-bloods, and even purebloods—if they maybe want to know a little more about our history and where we come from—our culture, our traditions, how our society functions. Too often are Muggleborns and half-bloods thrown out of the loop and I think it's high time that they are given a more even playing field," she told the table full of staff members that she had been raised with for the past ten, almost eleven, years. She looked around at their faces and they all looked pleasantly surprised with the suggestion of the course. She looked at Papa hesitantly and to her relief, he was beaming at her proudly.

"Never have I once regretted having you as a granddaughter, child. But this day, this is the day that you have made me proud. I would be delighted to make you the first ever professor of Wizarding Studies upon your graduation," he told her, his eyes slightly watery as he looked at the girl he claimed as a granddaughter in every single way. She returned the grin tenfold and everyone at the table laughed and chatted amoungst themselves at the prospect of a new course at the school, especially one so groundbreaking for the Wizarding World. As they chatted, she thought back to the news of Siriusescaping from Azkaban, something that no one else has ever done. If he really is free then she needed to find him before someone else, mainly some poor innocent citizen, misguidedly turned him back in.

"Pardon me, I have a few things to get done today since classes resume in two weeks," she announced as she stood. Then she looked down the table at Papa and said, "I'll need to go to Diagon Alley sometime this week to gather my supplies and textbooks. Should I just Floo to the Leakey Cauldron from your office?"

"Yes, I believe that would be the best plan of action," he told her. She nodded in acknowledgment as she left the table and headed towards her personal chamber. Once again, Amiya was lounging on the bed in a patch of sunlight. Andy gathered a random textbook, a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink before sitting on her bed with one leg tucked under her and the other stretched out, Amiya laying against the leg that was stretched out. She dipped the quill into the ink and began scratching out a letter, using the textbook as a hard surface.

~Somewhere in the middle of Britain~

A man huddled for warmth inside a small cave, sheltering himself from the damning sunlight that revealed too much of himself to the world. Suddenly, he heard something approaching him, coming rather close to his hideout. Too close for his comfort, anyways. That same second, a falcon landed on the ground right in front of him, causing him to jump back and then hold his chest as he calmed himself, telling himself that it wasn't an enemy. It had some sort of package tied to its leg and was hopping closer to him. He hesitantly reached out and untied the string from the animal's foot and it settled, staring at him patiently. He gave it an odd look before he untied the package and opened it. Inside he found the most heavenly items he had ever seen. There was a razor, a bag full of assorted coins, a small vial of what looked like human hair, two sandwiches in plastic wrappings, two apples, a change of clothes in his size, a vial that contained some substance (upon inspection, it turned out to be Polyjuice potion), a letter, a brown paper bag that had two mice wrapped in plastic, and a _wand._ He gaped at the package in wonder and went for the letter, curious to know who sent him all of the items. He ripped open the heavy envelope and quickly unfolded the parchment and read the unfamiliar handwriting.

 _Hello Mr. Black,_

 _If you are reading this, please feed Rhea so she can return home. That will be my confirmation that you have read this letter. The plastic covering the mice can only be undone by you or one with your identical DNA so that will be my confirmation that you have received this letter and are, in fact, okay._

He reached for the brown paper bag and unwrapped the two dead mice and carefully placed them before the calm bird of prey. Once he retracted his hand, the bird (who was apparently named Rhea) snapped up the two mice and then took to the air once more. Sirius smiled at the free bird before looking back at the letter.

 _I'm afraid we never really got to meet but I'm actually your second cousin. My name is Andraste but I go by Andy. I live at Hogwarts under the last name of Dumbledore as I have ever since I was rescued from my parents when I was about five. I saw you once, Mr. Black, when I was visiting the people I used to call Mother and Father. And when I saw you, I was told you were an innocent man by a man I believe more than anyone else on this planet and therefore, I want to help you. I don't know why you broke free or how you managed to do it but I want to help you recover through the hell that the War put you through. The wand you no doubt found already belongs to me personally, consider it my faith that you will come and meet me in the Forbidden Forest in five days' time. Meet my liaison by the gates to the school, she will show you the way to a safe place. The hair and the potion are so you can make use of the money. The hair belongs to a muggle teen I bumped into in London so no one in our world will recognize you. Either way, my wand should prove to be sufficient for whatever spell you may need to cast to cover your tracks. The food I packed isn't much but it should be enough to get you back up on your feet and moving. I will see you in five days, Mr. Black._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Andraste 'Andy' Dumbledore_

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	6. Parent Problems and Trapped Rats

**Sixteen years, burning every bridge I've ever known**

 **Without you here, the world has gotten colder on my own**

 **-The Griswolds; 16 Years**

 **Parent Problems and Trapped Rats**

As he approached the gates to the school in his Animagus form, he saw no one. He immediately felt something settle in his stomach. Had he been set up? Then he heard something.

 _There you are. Mistress sent me for a human but she didn't mention you were an Animagus._ He whipped his shaggy black head around to see a black cat sitting with its tail curled around its paws, watching him curiously. It stood and stretched lazily before turning and heading for the forest. _Come along, Mr. Black. Mistress tends to find trouble if left to her own devices for long enough._

Deep in the Forbidden Forest, Andy sat upon a large rock that stretched over the top of a small pond that Æthel found for her during one of her hunting trips. She flicked the water and made the droplets dance with wandless magic.

"You know, nonverbal magic itself is hard to accomplish for even the most skilled witches and wizards." She jumped at the sound of a voice and whipped around to see Sirius Black in the flesh standing three meters from her. She grinned at him, relieved to see him safe. "Yet here you are, managing both wandless and nonverbal magic like it's nothing. You sure you're a part of my family?"

"Unfortunately, I am absolutely positive. It's so wonderful to finally meet you, Mr. Black," she greeted him, scooting over to make room for him beside her on the rock. He looked at her in shock and moved towards her hesitantly. When she didn't look at him with anything other than joy, he settled down beside her as the black cat he followed padded over to her and curled up in the girl's lap, the girl scratching behind her ears affectionately. He took the moment to study her. She had the same sharp, aristocratic facial features as the rest of the women in his family had but she had stunning green eyes and thick brown curls tipped with a vibrant blue. The more he stared at her face, the more familiar she looked.

"You said you were my second cousin. You also said that you used to visit your parents in Azkaban. But my only cousins who were married and in Azkaban together were…" He pieced it together as he realized why the little half smile and wild curls looked so familiar. Without the dyed hair and different colored eyes, she was probably a spitting image of her mother. Even now, Sirius could see his cousin in her younger form seeping through the cracks of the façade her daughter fought to keep up.

"Yep, you would be quite right. I hit the jackpot as far as parents go, didn't I?" she joked with a sarcastic smile. He couldn't help but return the smile but then he shook his head.

"So you go by Dumbledore?" he asked her. He wanted to get to know her, his one remaining sane family member besides Andromeda and her daughter as well as his savior and currently, his only friend.

"Yeah, the rebels that invaded the manor when I was five found me and took me to Papa who took me in. For the first few years, he was just my guardian. Then, when I was eight, I went to visit my parents and I tried to talk to them about what a bad person the Dark Lord was and my father tore into me, to say the least. That was the day that Dumbledore took me in for good and changed my name to give me a new life. No one really knew I existed until then anyways, Mother and Father never threw a baby shower or celebrated my birthday or anything. So now the world just thinks I am the prodigal daughter of Papa's hidden bastard daughter who died of an illness years ago," she explained to him, leaning back on her hands to look up at the night sky. He nodded as he took the information in. They were silent for a good few moments, both lost in their own trains of thought, before Andy asked, "How did you manage to escape though? That's been what's bugging me the most. How did you do what no other wizard before you has ever managed to do?"

"Oh that." He smiled to himself as he thought about everything. "When I was in school, me and two of my best mates became illegal Animagi to accompany our werewolf best friend on his monthly adventures so he wouldn't have to bare it alone. Since I wasn't on the registry, they never posted human guards in my cell block, only dementors but dementors can't sense animals. So I did the old switch-a-roo and got the hell out of there. I swam for hours before I finally made it to shore. When I reached shore, I used what energy I had to keep going until I managed to find a small cave. That's when your bird found me."

"Yeah, Rhea is the best at finding people that don't want to be found. She's also the best at air maneuvers so she is damn near impossible to be intercepted and she is protected by several heavy and extensive wards that I update each month." The man gaped at the young girl before turning and looking at her fully.

"Okay, no. There is no way you're the creepy voodoo offspring of my cousin and her slimy husband. There has to be something else to you. The kind of power you have isn't just some ordinary, run-of-the-mill kind of power. You have something special in your blood," he told her, narrowing his eyes at her. She chewed her lip before replying.

"Well you're not wrong. Did you know that we are related to Salazar Slytherin?" He looked at her in confusion and said, "No we are not, Andy."

This time it was Andy's turn to look at him in confusion as she said, "Um, yes we are. Salazar himself said that I was his so-many-greats-great-granddaughter. Which means we, as the Black family, are all related to him."

"No, Andy, I'm serious. I have studied our family lineage extensively. If we were ever related to that man, trust me, my mother would have told everyone she had ever met about it. We weren't related to any of the Founders," he told her, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Who told you this? You said Salazar did?"

"Yeah, Salazar and Papa…" she said as she thought about it, trying to connect the dots but she was missing a very important piece. "It all came out because they found out that I was the only other heir to the Chamber of Secrets, besides…"

"Besides who, Andy?" he asked her urgently, that same sickening feeling from earlier settling in his stomach as he already came to the conclusion that the young girl sitting in front of him was struggling to come to.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr., more commonly known as Lord Voldemort," she said quietly.

"But you are the spitting image of Bella," he pointed out and he realized he said the final piece. Andy's eyes widened as her stomach lurched. She quickly turned her head away as she vomited all of the dinner she had eaten not an hour ago. She heard Sirius curse softly as he reached over to hold her hair up, rubbing her back soothingly. When she spat the last of it out of her mouth, she scooped up some of the water from the pond, fresh water as she had checked the first time she came to this particular spot, and rinsed out her mouth. Then she sat back, looking at the pond in blank shock. Had Papa known all this time? Probably.

"Andy…?" the man next to her, still rubbing her back, asked her cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm the product of the two most twisted people on the face of this planet. I'm not doing too well," she said quietly, her voice lacking its, from what he could tell, usual sass. He looked at her, already attached to the young girl, and pulled her into him. He held the only family he had left close to him as she sobbed into her hands.

"What is this place?" Sirius looked around the large chamber Andy had brought him to. The sun was about to rise and she knew he needed to rest and recover. Once she finished her break down, she thanked him for being there and then led him into the castle, him hiding in his Animagi form.

"I call it the Founders' Chamber as this is where all our meetings are held but for the time being, it's going to be your new home." When they had first entered the room, she used her wand to create three new doorways. "The first door to the far left leads you straight to my room. No one can gain access except you, me, and Amiya. The door in the middle leads to the kitchens. All the house elves have been briefed by Amiya and their lips are sealed so you are free to come and go from there as you wish. The final door to the right is your personal bathroom."

The room was decorated in Gryffindor colours to appease her newfound cousin's ridiculous fondness for his old House. A soft, queen sized bed was in the corner of the room covered in the same audacious colours. Andy added a couple bookcases, a desk fully stocked with parchment, quills, and ink, as well as a radio tuned to both Muggle and Wizarding frequencies. Sirius once again found himself gaping in wonder at the luxurious room he could now call his own. "Andy…"

"What in the high name of Merlin has happened to this- Andraste Philomela Slytherin, you better explain this horrid décor right this second!" Andy squeaked and jumped a foot in the air as she whipped around to see the four Founders in the center of the room. While the two women looked wholly amused, Godric looked like a proud peacock and Grandfather was fuming.

"I told you she was going to warm up to me eventually, Salazar," Godric gloated to his rival, sticking out his chest proudly. Salazar and Andy shot him the same irritated look at the same time as she said, "I will never warm up to you, you insufferable idiot. This is where my friend will be staying and as an alumni of Gryffindor, I thought it might make him feel more at home."

"Friend…?" Helga asked as the Founders finally took notice of the man standing behind the young girl. They blinked as they stared at the man that even they knew about and that very same man looked back at them with his jaw on the ground, dumbstruck at the sight of the original Founders of the school he adored.

"So first you go and play with an ancient and gigantic serpent, then you decide that it's okay to let said serpent free into the forest, and now you are befriending criminals?" Godric asked, looking between all of them with a raised eyebrow. "Does nobody else see what is wrong here?"

Andy hissed at him and Rowena shot him a look that made the ghost put his hands up in defense and float away to a corner where he could mumble to his ego without pissing off the teen.

"He isn't a criminal. He was framed by a man working for Lord Voldemort and Papa knew that but he also knew that without any hard evidence, he wouldn't be able to prove it. So when he managed to escape from Azkaban, I decided to help him. So all I'm asking is that you four just don't, ya know, tell anyone," she halfway asked them, fiddling with her hands as Sirius watched her interact with the ghosts like it was nothing, amazed that the girl was even real. "Not that you guys talk to anyone besides me anyways but you know what I mean."

"We understand, child. And if this man is truly innocent then we shall protect him as best we can," Rowena swore to her. Andy dipped her head to her patron Founder and looked at her Grandfather expectantly. He narrowed his eyes at her, still more pissed off about the décor of the chamber now than the fact that she was aiding and abetting a fugitive, but nodded at her to show that he would keep her secret. Helga nodded as well and Godric nodded entirely too eagerly, already eyeing Sirius who had been the prime example of the typical Gryffindor in his younger years (now that he knew he wasn't a mass murderer or anything). Andy rolled her eyes and turned to face her older cousin, crossing her arms and smiling at him. "Think you can handle them?"

"Handle-?" he sputtered, looking at her like she was crazy. "I get to sit here and talk to the Founders of this school and you treat it like it's a burden!"

"Finally! Someone who appreciates us!" Godric exclaimed, his proud peacock pose back in action. Andy looked at him in exasperation before looking at Sirius who was looking at the preening ghost with awe and realized she had her hands way more full than she originally thought. She rolled her eyes yet again before announcing, "Alright, I'll leave you airheads to it, I'm going to bed before the bags under my eyes start to become more ridiculous. I'll be back to check on you in two days, Sirius, but if you ever need me, Amiya is typically in my room or the kitchens so you can send her to find me."

"Of course, and hey, Andy." His hand on her elbow stopped her as she walked past him to go to the door that led to her room. She turned and looked at him with one raised eyebrow. He gave her a soft smile, squeezing her arm gently in an affectionate manner before saying, "Thank you, for everything."

The beginning of the term brought a new professor, new guards of the castle grounds, and new gossip. All the students could talk about was the escape of the mass murderer Sirius Black. She hadn't heard much from the Golden Trio except for when she studied with Hermione on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She saw Oliver regularly still but between studying for his final exams and amping up quidditch practice for his last season as captain, their dates had taken a bit of a backseat, not that Andy really minded. She spent that free time in the Founder's Chamber with Sirius and the Founders. As Æthel had gone back to sleep for a year or two after feasting all summer, Andy didn't go to the Chamber as much anymore. As far as the Terrible Trio went though…

~Five weeks into the term~

Andy sighed as she ran he fingers through her wild hair, causing her curls to become even more crazy than they already were. After long day of classes, being blown off by her not-so-boyfriend for the fourth time was not what she needed. She stopped in front of the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw.

"Wit and ambition beyond comprehension overrule valour and loyal devotion," she told her. The woman dipped her head with a smile like always and swung open for her. She stepped into the chamber and groaned, flopping on the beanbag chair she had conjured for herself since she spent so much time in here anyways. Sirius was lounging on his bed, studying one of the books she had lent to him. He looked over the top of the book with a quirked eyebrow. "Boyfriend drama."

He snapped the book shut and looked a thousand times more interested. "Excuse me, you're too young to have a boyfriend."

"I am literally turning seventeen this month, Sirius. Calm down," she told him with an eye roll, a grin playing on her lips. She was about to make another joke when the entrance portrait swung open to reveal two redheads and a boy with curly black hair. The Trio looked at Sirius and Andy in shock as Sirius and Andy mirrored them.

"That doesn't look like a secret boyfriend, Freddie," George whispered to Fred, his eyes trained on Sirius.

"Nope that really does not," Lee agreed, his eyes larger than the moon. Andy and Sirius looked at the boys and then at each other. With a subtle nod, they dove for them. They forced them into the room and Andy wordlessly locked all the other exits to the chamber as she and Sirius blocked the portrait exit.

"Boys, give me five minutes and I promise you, you will understand," Andy said cautiously, her hands out in defense. They were still looking at her in shock but Fred said, "Five minutes. Go."

Five minutes later saw the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan sitting on the rug, looking at Andy, who sat on a large black beanbag, and Sirius Back, who sat on a rather nice mahogany desk. Lee was the first to speak, finally breaking the silence with, "So wait, Dumbledore knew the whole time that he was innocent? Why didn't he just say so?"

"Because at the time, anyone was a suspect," Sirius answered the younger male. "If Dumbledore came through with that but had no hard evidence to back him up, he would be under suspicion and possibly removed from Hogwarts, therefore no good to any of us. He did what he had to do."

"But that doesn't explain your involvement, Andy," Fred pointed out, still looking at the girl that he counted as an older sister with narrowed eyes. He knew there was something she was hiding. She scratched behind her neck nervously and looked at her crisscrossed legs, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah about that… I'm not really Dumbledore's granddaughter," she admitted to them sheepishly. They gaped at her in shock. "My real last name is Lestrange but I fully intend to legally change it to Slytherin to claim my true ancestor instead of that twisted family."

"But the Lestranges aren't related to Salazar Slytherin. Any pureblood could tell you that. His line died out years ago," George told her with a 'duh' face. Andy gaped at them this time. They caught on to something it took her years to figure out.

"Molly raised some damn bright kids," Sirius commented, barely restraining the laughter in his voice as he no doubt had the same thought she did. "That would be because while my dear cousin Bellatrix was her mother, Rodolphous was not her father."

"Then who is?"

~Present day~

They had accepted her after the initial shock and now the chamber was a regular meeting place for the five of them. The Trio had taken to Sirius quite quickly after they realized he was just an older version of them and he was also the creator of the magical map they used to navigate the school. Under Sirius' directions, they passed the map on down to Harry, whose father had helped create the map back when him, Sirius, and their two other friends, Remus and Peter, were in Gryffindor. It was Halloween by the time Sirius finally told them why he returned back to the castle. He recognized Peter from the picture of the Weasley's that had been in the Daily Prophet. Peter had framed him twelve years ago, selling out the Potter family to the Dark Lord as well as blowing up an entire block of houses, and then faking his death, making it appear that Sirius had killed him plus all the Muggles as well as betraying the Potters. With this information, the Trio as well as Amiya and Andy searched the Tower from top to bottom for the rat whilst everyone else was at the Halloween feast.

"Do you see him anywhere?" Lee yelled from the common room where he and George were checking under every chair and bookcase and pillow. Fred was checking the bottom half of the boys' dormitories while Andy took the top half.

"No sign of him up here!" Andy commented as she got up off her knees from looking under a seventh year's bed.

"Nor h-" Fred was cut off by loud thumping and the hissing of a cat somewhere in the third year boys' dormitory. She raced down the stairs and nearly ran into the Trio as they peeked inside. Amiya, with her back arched and claws out, had the rat backed into a corner where it was squeaking wildly and running back forth, looking for an exit. Grinning at each other in success, Andy immobilized the rat and pet Amiya on the head as a reward for her good work before she scooped up the paralyzed body of the rat and marching out the door.

"Let's go, Sirius deserves his freedom." They marched out of the Tower in a single-file line. Lee broke off to go fetch Sirius while the twins and Andy headed to the Headmaster's office. They waited outside the gargoyle for Lee since he didn't know the password, the three of them inspecting the old rat.

"Hard to believe this scrawny bag of bones is a mass murderer," Fred murmured to them quietly. George snorted softly as he raised an eyebrow at the inconspicuous pet.

"More like it's hard to believe he's been in our family this long and none of us realized he was an evil little tw-"

"Hello, children." The three of them jumped and turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing behind them with his hands behind his back, his usual smile present on his face. He raised an eyebrow at the unmoving rat in his granddaughter's hands but didn't comment.

"Professor!" the twins sad in unison, the same time Andy exclaimed, "Papa!"

"I got h-" Lee's voice died as he and Sirius in his dog form skidded to a halt right beside the group. Lee looked from the Headmaster to Andy and then to Sirius and then back to the Headmaster. Andy swallowed heavily as she saw Papa assessing all of them, even Sirius, before he finally said, "Well now that we are all here, why don't we make our way to my office? At least that will offer a bit more privacy than just standing in the hall."

Gregory hopped out of the way for the Headmaster and he began the ascension up to his office. The four students and Sirius all exchanged looks before Andy started after the old man and led the way. Once actually in the office, Papa took his normal seat and the Trio took the chairs in front of his desk as Andy sat upon his desk like always. He raised his eyebrow at her, already fully aware that whatever was going on, she was more than likely the ring leader. She immediately launched into her explanation. "Papa, we finally have proof that will prove Sirius Black as innocent upon all charges!"

Papa was silent for a couple moments, as his granddaughter had actually managed to surprise him. He had not been expecting that. When he regained his steady composure, he asked, "What do you mean child?"

"Twelve years ago, Sirius Black told Lily and James Potter that the Dark Lord would know that he was their Secret Keeper because everyone knew that he was James' best friend. So he told them that they should choose someone that no one would suspect and they chose Peter Pettigrew. What they didn't know is that Pettigrew had already gone crawling to Lord Voldemort for protection so when the Potters made him their Secret Keeper, he gave that information to the Dark Lord and inevitably caused their death. When Sirius found out, he knew that Pettigrew had been working for the Dark Lord the entire time and he went after him but Pettigrew blew up that block of Muggle houses, cut off his own finger, and then transformed into a rat because he, James, and Sirius all became illegal Animagi back when they were in school. But we found Peter Pettigrew," she told Papa with a fierce look in her eyes, squeezing the immobilized rat a little tighter. He was thoroughly shocked as he sat back in his chair, his fingers laced together under his chin, contemplating the situation.

"Well then," he finally spoke minutes later. "I suppose it's time to inform the Ministry."

Thirty minutes later saw Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, two Aurors named Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks, and the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge all sitting in Papa's office. They had very briefly been told the situation and were wide-eyed and almost disbelieving. Andy looked at Papa but he gestured for her to go, this was her discovery. She cleared her throat and began with, "Now before we begin, I must go ahead and say that I am responsible for aiding and abetting the fugitive known as Sirius Black and will take whatever consequences that may bring but first, let me show you why he is innocent and wrongfully imprisoned in the first place."

"How could you possibly have that kind of proof?" Ms. Bones asked her curiously, her eyes narrowed as she studied the young girl in front of her. Andy smirked in reply and looked down and the rat that was beginning to move again. "Let's just say that I caught the little rat that set him up."

Once again, Andy began telling the story of how Sirius urged the Potters to change the Secret Keeper to someone less obvious and how they choose Pettigrew and also how they were all illegal Animagi. When she explained how Pettigrew faked his own death, she showed them the paw on the rat where he was missing a toe, the exact same as the finger he cut off. The Minister looked at the girl in disbelief once she finished and said, "You believe that just because you found some old rat who probably lost that toe in fight that that just clears Sirius Black's name? What the hell are you playing at, girl?"

"I don't quite like your tone or your insinuation that I am unintelligent, Minister," the girl spat back as a warning. "I can prove that this is Peter Pettigrew."

She silently transformed a pen into another chair and immobilized the rat yet again before setting him upon the hard wood. Then she flicked her wrist, using a spell that Sirius had taught her that causes Animagi in their animal form to have to switch back to their human form, and watched as the rat grew into a full grown, rather hideous, man. The Trio did their part and tied him up before Andy released him from the immobilizing spell that was upon him. "Let me go, you evil girl! You have the wrong man!"

"Merlin help us," the Minister whispered as he clutched his chest.

"See? I present to you, Peter Pettigrew, alive and in the flesh," she hissed at the Minister. Then she turned and looked at Ms. Bones and said, "I'm sure with the help of Veritaserum or even Legilimens, you will be able to see that this man was the cause of the death of the Potters as well as all those Muggles, therefore making Sirius Black wrongfully imprisoned."

The woman rummaged in her purse and pulled out a vial of liquid. "Good thing I thought to bring some then."

She handed the vial to Shacklebolt and nodded for him to go ahead and pour it down Pettigrew's throat. The man tried to dodge it but the Auror's hand held his face still and he forced it down his throat. He then stepped back and nodded at the woman. She eyed the ratty man for a few more seconds before she began questioning him.

"What is your name?"

"Peter Pettigrew," he responded with a slur, trying to fight the effects of the potion.

"Were you the Secret Keeper for Lily and James Potter?" she asked him. They waited with baited breath as he ground his teeth and fought against the potion before it finally made him say, "Yes."

"Merlin help us," the Minister whispered again as he realized that already cleared Sirius of one charge.

"Did you blow up a street block of Muggle homes on Halloween night, 1981 and then effectively evade justice by becoming a rat, which is your Animgus?" Ms. Bones continued. Once again, he kept them waiting as he tossed his head back in forth and made unnatural groaning noises before he said, once again, "Yes."

"Did you fake your own death that night to put the blame on Sirius Black?" she asked. This was it, the final question.

"Yes," Pettigrew moaned as he sunk into the chair, knowing he was already doomed. Andy looked down at Sirius in his dog form, his big silver eyes full of joy, like he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Well then… Will you two kindly escort Mr. Pettigrew to the Animagi block of Azkaban?" Ms. Bones asked the two Aurors. They both dipped their heads and then moved in on the defeated rat. Then Ms. Bones looked over at Andy and gave her a little smirk. "That was quite brave of you, my dear."

"Sirius Black deserves his freedom and the right to live as a free man," she told her, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yes well as no one knows where he is, we'll just have to hope that he sees it in the news that he's been declared a free man. Merlin only knows how insane the paperwork is going to be but it will be declared a mistrial and he can walk the world freely." Andy blushed and rubbed behind her neck as Ms. Bones spoke. "Yeah but about not knowing where he is…"

Sirius transformed right next to Andy and hugged her tightly, something he had been dying to do ever since the rat said that final "yes." He heard the Minister gasp and Ms. Bones laughed lightly but he just buried his face into Andy's shoulder and let out a large breath, as the weight of his damning sentence was released off his shoulders. When he finally let her go, only keeping his arm around her waist, he grinned Ms. Bones and at the Minister. "Thank you so much for this, I can't tell you how badly I just wanted people to know the truth."

"Well now we do, Mr. Black, thanks to this wonderful girl and her friends. I take it you have been staying in the castle?" Ms. Bones asked cordially. Sirius nodded and said, "Yeah, Andy found me a secluded little room far away from any of the students and made sure I had constant access to food and a bathroom and she supplied me with books, a radio, and pretty much anything else to keep me occupied. She has been a savior these past couple months."

"Well then… Professor, I will let you handle this how you see fit. Our work is done here." Ms. Bones smiled at Sirius and shook his hand, saying, "I'm glad to see you free, Sirius."

"Thank you, Amelia," he told her. With that, the woman herded the shell-shocked Minister to the fireplace and the two of them Flooed back to the Ministry. With them gone, the Trio and Andy grinned at each other before they looked at the Headmaster. He had been silent the entire time but the second they looked at him, he gave them the largest smile they ever saw. "How good to see you again, Sirius."

"You as well, Professor," Sirius told him with a face-breaking grin. "I promise I'll find somewhere new to live now that I'm free though."

"About that…"

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	7. Lost Love and New Tricks

**Will you show some heart** **  
And end this trouble here where it starts  
You won't tear us apart**

 **-Dropkick Murphys; Don't Tear Us Apart**

 **Lost Love and New Tricks**

A week before the end of her sixth year, Andy and Oliver walked to Hogsmeade with the rest of the students, holding hands loosely and talking to their friends that walked with them. They had been going steady for a year and three months but even so, Andy knew that she was going to have to tell Oliver her true identity sooner or later. She really didn't want to wait and then him possibly find out from something else so while the rest of the group flooded into the Three Broomsticks, Andy grabbed Oliver's arm and said, "Hey, can we walk by ourselves for a bit? I have something I wanna tell you."

"Yeah, of course. Are you alright?" he asked her, concern filling his eyes as he continued walking with her down the cobbled street. She nodded and smiled at him softly. They kept walking until they made it into the forest and then they continued until they found a small clearing with a fallen tree that Andy sat down upon. Oliver sat down next to her and faced her expectantly. She took a deep breath and looked down at her hands before she finally spoke.

"I'm not really a Dumbledore. The Headmaster just took me in as a child," she admitted to him. He didn't say anything for a moment.

"Then what were you originally?" he asked her curiously. She swallowed heavily.

"A Lestrange," she murmured quietly. "My mother is Bellatrix Lestrange."

"What?" he exclaimed quietly. She flinched and looked up at him, hoping he wasn't terrified or disgusted, and saw that he was simply surprised. She took another deep breath and continued.

"It gets worse though…" She closed her eyes and said, "Her husband wasn't my father."

"Then who was?" he asked her. As quietly as she possibly could, she whispered, "The Dark Lord."

This time he made no noise whatsoever. His facial expression was frozen as he stared at her face. She looked at him, verging upon begging him to say something, anything. But he continued to remain silent. He just couldn't believe it. It couldn't possibly be true. Andy was sweet and kind and went out of her way to help anyone yet here she is, the daughter of two of the evilest people to ever live. She was looking at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something. But he just couldn't.

So he stood up and walked away, leaving his girlfriend sitting on the fallen tree crying silently.

She kept her hands over her mouth, forcing herself to not make a noise as the one male she had ever had feelings for walked away from her. She wasn't sure how long she sat there crying but eventually she felt an arm go around her, pulling her into a very familiar chest. She knew it was Sirius, she recognized the familiar scent, and she held on tightly to him as she cried. "What happened, love?"

"Oliver… I told him… He left me…" she managed to say in between sobs. Sirius growled lowly as he squeezed her even tighter to him, petting her hair softly to calm her down.

"That idiot will get what's coming to him but right now, I'm worried about you. Are you going to be okay, Andy?" he asked her, pulling back enough to study her. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears off her face and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I was stupid to trust him, though," she murmured as she put her head back on his shoulder and let out a sigh, feeling her entire body deflate. He sighed as well and squeezed her again, resting his head on top of her head.

"You're not stupid, he is. Who your parents are shouldn't matter and the fact that it matters to him shows that he isn't the boy for you, okay?" Andy looked up at Sirius and studied his face for a moment before nodding. He nodded back and gave her a large smile. "Now come on. Let's go back up to the castle and see if we can't snag Remus and then the three of us can go relax by the lake and you can forget all about that idiot."

~Last Day of the Term~

"Well students, we once again conclude yet another year and what a fantastic year it has been. I would personally like to congratulate Professor Black who will be our first returning Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and also to congratulate Professor Lupin who will be returning as our official new History of Magic professor," Papa said in front of his podium, beaming at all his students, looking over his shoulder briefly to see the two best friends sitting side-by-side, grinning wildly. "Also, the final ranking for the House Cup. With 374 points in fourth place, Hufflepuff House. With 389 points in third place, Gryffindor House. With 401 points in second place, Slytherin House. And with 487 points taking first place, Ravenclaw House."

The Ravenclaws cheered wildly and many of them hopped out of their seat to hug Andy. They all knew that a mass majority of those points came from her, both because of her role in freeing Sirius Black and because she really was just that well liked amoungst all the professors. Andy laughed and smiled at all the random Housemates that came up from behind her and hugged her or ruffled her hair, feeling apart of her House for the first time in six years. Papa smiled at her kindly and then announced, "Let the feast begin!"

Andy spared a glance over to the Gryffindor table and saw Oliver looking at her. He hadn't spoken a word to her since he left her alone in the woods a week ago. Steeling herself, she gave him an ice cold glare and then moved her gaze further on down the table. The Terrible Trio gave her their usual grins and waved wildly at her. They knew of the issue between Oliver and Andy and chose Andy over Oliver and told him to shove it, much to his shock. The Golden Trio was also aware, due to Hermione telling the other two, but they chose to simply keep out of it although Harry was warming back up to Andy after she freed his godfather. But even so, as she saw Oliver sitting with his one friend, she knew that Sirius was right; he was the idiot, not her. He threw away everyone because he couldn't handle her parentage. But she didn't care anymore because while he had been cute and sweet, she wasn't going to waste her time. So she turned back to the feast and spent the night talking and laughing with Luna and the other Ravenclaws, happy to finally feel at home in her House.

She saw everyone off to the train with Sirius and Remus before the three of them plus Amiya headed back inside. This summer was the Quidditch World Cup and Papa agreed to let her go with Remus, Sirius, and the Weasley clan. She wasn't a huge fan of the sport but it did sound like it would be a lot of fun and she was excited to go. Even so, they still two months until they would be meeting the Weasley clan at the Burrow to go to the match and that was two months that they had to fill. That's when Sirius came up with a brilliant idea.

"How would you like to become an illegal Animagus, Andy?" he asked her slyly. She looked at him to see if he was joking and then looked at Remus who was also smiling before she grinned and nodded. And that was how they figured out how to spend two months.

"So with your enhanced magical abilities, thank you Salazar, this will probably take you only a fraction of the time it took us," Sirius told her as he stood in front of the chair she sat in as Remus sat on top of one of the desks in the DADA classroom. She nodded as she intertwined her fingers. "It can take a while to master it because it can be a very dangerous piece of magic. If you don't put enough energy into it, you could end up only halfway transformed which is something no one wants. You have to force your body in its entirety to become that of the animal you choose. The first few times, you have to take it slow, picturing your arms and legs and torso and face changing one by one but the more you practice, the easier it gets and the faster you will become."

"So I start by doing what exactly?" she asked him, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh this is the easy part," he assured her as he sat on his desk. "This is the part where you figure out what animal you want to be when you transform."

"Oh great," she murmured sarcastically as she sat back and settled in to think.

"Okay to make it easier, just start to list off your qualities out loud. Maybe we can make some suggestions that will help you get a better idea," Remus suggested. She nodded slowly and started.

"Well I can be a bit prideful. I'm intelligent, I know that. I'm fiercely loyal unless you screw me over. Despite having a pretty strong group of friends that are practically family, I typically like to do things alone. Um…" She struggled to think of her other qualities.

"If I may?" Remus asked as he interrupted. She gestured for him to go ahead as she tried to think of other traits. "You sound a lot like myself, honestly."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brow furrowed. Sirius apparently got whatever it was that he was hinting because a light went off in his eyes and his mouth formed an O-shape.

"It means your animal is probably a wolf." Andy looked at Sirius curiously before it finally hit her. Remus was constantly sick around the full moon and Sirius had said that he and _two_ of his friends were illegal Animagi but he had _three_ friends so that meant that there was something that stopped Remus from being able to transform and that must have been it. But she knew how he must feel about it so she just nodded understandingly. She could picture herself being a wolf. She was probably a solid black wolf with her usual green eyes. So she closed her eyes and pictured herself becoming a solid black wolf. She pictured her feet and arms turning into large paws, her small torso turning into the lithe body of a wolf, her human face turning into a massive, black pup face. She even pictured her nose turning from her little pointed nose to a long snout. She could feel her body begin to sweat but she didn't stop. She felt like her body was being torn apart a thousand times over but she couldn't let herself just quit. She wasn't quite sure how long she was at it before she heard an astonished laugh from above her. She opened her eyes and realized she was on the floor. When she went to put her hand on the ground to push herself up, all she saw was a paw and a small leg covered in fur. She yelped and scrabbled back, slipping and falling as she was unaccustomed to her new limbs.

"Woah there, pup. Calm down." She felt hands steady her and Sirius' face came into view, looking both amused and concerned. "You need to relax. You've done a lot already, don't push it."

 _How do-_ Andy tried to talk but all she heard was barking. She stopped and looked up at Sirius with wide, terrified eyes. He laughed and ruffled the fur on top of her head gently.

"Animagi can understand other Animagi regardless so don't worry about that," he assured her.

 _How do I change back?_ she asked him, trying to ignore the strange sensation of thinking in English but her words coming out in a soft whine.

"Oh that's even easier, don't worry, pup. But first…" He turned and conjured a large mirror from his office. He propped it up against one of the desks and gestured for her to go look at it. She hesitantly made her way onto her paws and took a moment to steady herself before trying to take a step. Having to move two legs at the same time was odd but a piece of her knew how to do it on instinct so after a couple wobbly steps, she was walking regularly. She padded slowly over to the mirror and stood in front of it, blinking in shock at her appearance.

She wasn't pitch black. No, she was a startling white. She was so bright, she seemed like she was practically glowing and her emerald green eyes seemed to be lit with a hidden fire. The more she stared at herself, the more she was entranced with the animal that she was. She tilted her head one way and then another, watching how the light played on her fur. Sirius and Remus both laughed at how she was studying herself, Remus throwing in, "Looks like you aren't the only vain one anymore, Sirius."

"Alright pup, in order to change back to human, you have to focus on your body becoming human once more. Do exactly what you did to change into a wolf but this time do it the other way around, okay?" Sirius instructed her. She dipped her head in understanding before closing her eyes once more. She pictured her body elongating and turning back into its normal human shape. Like the first time, it hurt but it was a lot easier to transform back, like Sirius assured her. When she opened her eyes, she was on the floor still but her hands were covered in skin, not fur. She looked up into the mirror to see herself, sweaty but whole. She grinned at them and they returned her smile tenfold before they helped her up.

"Alright now it's time to get you something to eat, you just burned a lot of energy so you need to eat and rest and refuel," Remus told her as they hooked arms with her and halfway supported her on their way to the kitchens. Andy wouldn't admit it out loud but they were right, she did feel incredibly dizzy and light-headed. So she rolled her eyes but let them drag her out of the classroom and down to the warm kitchens full of bustling house elves.

The next week was full of her constantly practicing the transformation process until she was able to do it without it hurting her and causing her to be dizzy. Because of her fast progress, she was able to join Remus and Sirius for the next full moon excursion. While she was nervous about being up close and personal with a werewolf, Remus made sure to take plenty of his potion before they left for the Whomping Willow that evening. Amiya came with them, prodding the particular root at the tree's stump that made it halt its onslaught of attacks and allowing them to slip down the tunnel safely. Sirius and Andy went ahead and transformed and waited on the old creaky bed as Remus sat in the middle of the floor. He unclothed himself and Andy respected his modesty by turning her head to the side and covering her face with her paws. She knew when it started because she could hear Remus' groaning and what sounded like the snapping of bones. She flinched with each snap and whimpered painfully with each howl. Finally, after what felt like years, he fell silent and Andy looked up. A wolf, much larger than her, lay panting on the floor where Remus had just been. The wolf had his same sandy brown hair and large brown eyes yet now the amber ring around the center was more prominent than usual. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and nodded at them, telling them it was okay to come close again. Sirius hopped off the bed and circled his old friend playfully, acting like a normal puppy. Andy was a bit more cautious as she leaped down from the bed, padding towards him slowly, making sure to keep her head slightly ducked like her instincts told her to do. Her wolf sensed that he was an alpha and she didn't want to trigger his werewolf side by appearing threatening. She moved closer to him until she was mere inches from him but she kept her head down, looking at the floor boards as she heard his heavy breathing from above her. She waited patiently, a piece of her knowing how this had to go. She stilled herself completely as she felt him come closer until she could feel his breath on her shoulder, involuntarily making her shiver. Then he gently nudged her shoulder with his snout and she looked up hesitantly. She could see his usual warmth in his eyes and she immediately smiled at him, or at least tried to. He barked out a laugh and Sirius joined in before the black dog took off down the tunnel and out into the forest. Remus and Andy shared an excited look before barking and howling and taking after him.

~Late August~

"Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, you better take care of her. Any foolishness and don't think I won't find a way to punish you. You may not be my students anymore but don't think that'll stop me," Professor McGonagall told the two grown men sternly as they stood by the front doors, about to leave for the Burrow. Professor McGonagall and Papa came to see them off. The older woman turned to the girl she practically called family and gave her a soft smile and wrapped her in a big hug. "Be safe and keep those two out of trouble. We will see you all back here before the start of the term."

"Of course, don't worry about us," Andy reassured her, patting her back gently and giving her a bright smile when they pulled back from each other. Professor McGonagall sighed and then nodded, stepping back to let Papa come up and hug Andy as well.

"Take care, child. Be safe and have fun and please get me an Ireland scarf while you're there. I do so love the colours," he told her with his familiar smile and twinkle in his eye. She nodded and he pulled back, nodding to the two men before gesturing for them to go on their way. The three friends shared an excited look and took off for the gates. Despite being much older than Andy, they were both in top shape and it ended up being a close race with Remus in first, Andy in second, and Sirius in last place (although he claims that they cheated). Once outside the gates, they one by one Apparated to the Burrow. Remus arrived first, closely followed by the other two. Molly, who had been waiting for them in the doorway, came down the stairs and wrapped them all up in a giant hug.

"Oh Sirius, Remus, Andy! It has been so long since I have seen any of you!" she scolded them as she nearly choked them to death with her bear hug. She finally let them go and shooed them all into the kitchen. Multiple pairs of footsteps could be heard running down the stairs and five people popped out from the staircase. Fred and George ran full force at Andy and scooped her up, whooping and hollering as they dragged her away, chattering on and on about new experiments they had to show her. Ron, Ginny, and Harry watched as the older girl was thrown over Fred's shoulder and carried up the stairs as she just hung there limply, listening to them talk as if this was totally normal. Molly watched them with shock before she closed her mouth and shook her head in amusement at their antics.

"I swear she's their favourite person in the world," she commented as she bustled about making tea. Sirius and Remus put their bags by the door and joined the three kids at the large dining room table.

"How is it spending the summer at the castle?" Harry asked them as Molly conjured a plate of cookies for them. They all chorused their thank you's before each taking one.

"It's been alright," Remus said with a shrug. Sirius swallowed his bite of cookie and added, "Been teaching Andy some of our tricks."

"Merlin help that girl," Molly commented with a small smile, rolling her eyes at the two adult men that reminded her so much of her own sons. "Between my boys and you two, she'll have no good influences left."

"Speaking of, we need to talk to you about something important Molly," Remus told her, giving her a look that made her understand that it wasn't something for the younger lot. She nodded discretely before saying, "Then you can tell me while you help me out in the garden. It's like pulling teeth trying to get this lot to help."

"Shame on you," Sirius scolded them mockingly, giving them a not-so-sly wink that got him whacked over the head by a newspaper, much to the younger three's amusement.

"Let's go see what the twins and Andy are up to," Harry said to the other three, leading them up the stairs. They waited until they heard a door at the top of the staircase open and then slam shut before Molly sat across from the two men and looked at them.

"What's happened?" she asked them, going into mum mode. They shared a look before leaning in closer.

"You are aware of Andy's true heritage, no?" Sirius asked her lowly. Molly's brow furrowed as she looked at them in confusion.

"What d-"

"Hello love, how wa- Sirius! Remus! Such a lovely surprise!" Arthur exclaimed as he walked through the door and saw the two men sitting at the dining room table. "I wasn't expecting you lot until tomorrow, I thought you were just going to meet with us in the morning?"

"Something came up and we needed to see you two sooner rather than later. As some of the only remaining members from the Order and the parents of Andy's two best friends, it was imperative that you know what's been going on," Remus told him. Arthur's jovial expression fell from his face and sat at the table beside Molly.

"Of course, what's happened?" he asked them seriously.

"Has Dumbledore ever confided in you two the true identity of Andy's parents?" Sirius asked again. They both shook their heads, looking perplexed at the question. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look and Remus nodded at his best friend, telling him to go ahead. Sirius took a deep breath before he continued.

"Andy was born to Bellatrix Lestrange on October 31st, 1976. The problem is that Rodolphous Lestrange was not her father," Sirius told them. Molly had already covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with shock. Arthur was just as shocked but he watched Sirius intently for the rest of the story. "Bellatrix allowed the Dark Lord to impregnate her. Andy is the product of that."

"Oh dear Merlin," Molly whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "That poor girl…"

"That was my final mission," Remus told them grimly, remembering the day he first saw Andy. "Dumbledore sent us to raid the Lestrange Manor while Bellatrix and Rodolphus were out torturing the Longbottoms because he had a hunch that they were hiding something and he were right. We found Andy with a house elf nanny, crying in her nursery, barely five years old. Me and Kingsley got her out of there and took her to Dumbledore, not sure what to do with her. That was also the night of Lily and James'…"

"We understand, Remus," Arthur told him gravely as he shook his head, absorbing all the information. "So why tell us now?"

"We think that she has a telepathic link with the Dark Lord. All summer, she's been telling us about these strange dreams she keeps having where she keeps seeing people dying by the Killing Curse or by a snake attack and the voice she hears is masculine but she claims it's like she's watching from inside someone's body," Sirius told them hurriedly, whispering fiercely, concern shining in his eyes. Molly's brow furrowed.

"I overheard Harry telling Ron something similar the other night, he said he had been having those same dreams all summer as well," Molly told them. The four adults exchanged a look and Molly hesitantly asked, "You don't think…"

"We do," Sirius confirmed grimly. "He's going to try to come back and we're worried that Harry and Andy are going to be the first people he goes for."

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	8. Annoying Boys and Close Escapes

**I was born without this fear  
Now only this seems clear  
I need to move, I need to fight  
I need to lose myself tonight**

 **-KONGOS; Come With Me Now**

 **Annoying Boys and Close Escapes**

"Alright, you lot! Keep up!" Arthur shouted playfully over his shoulder. It was barely five in the morning so Harry, Ron, Ginny, Sirius, Remus, and the twins were dragging their feet while Andy, Hermione, and Arthur were bouncing along just fine, sharing conspiratorial grins. Since they were the only ones to wake up on time, Molly had added Pepper Up potion to their coffee which gave them the extra boost they knew they were going to need. The others weren't so lucky.

"Oi! Weasley!" a voice called. They looked over to see a middle-aged man coming towards them with a giant smile. Arthur laughed and embraced him.

"Amos, my good friend. How wonderful to see you!" Arthur greeted him right as a boy dropped out of the tree that they were standing under. He landed directly in front of Andy, who didn't jump back like Hermione did but instead just rolled her eyes. She knew damn well who he was. Hufflepuff's ridiculous quidditch Seeker and team captain, Cedric Diggory. "And I take it this is your son!"

"Yes, this is my boy, Cedric," Amos told Arthur as Cedric shot him a winning smile and shook his hand. "Shall we get going then?"

They once again continued the trek up the hill where Arthur said that their Portkey was waiting for them. Cedric fell in line next to Andy, much to her irritation, as Ginny and Hermione eyed him appreciatively. He smiled at Andy and said, "Can you believe it's our last year?"

"Yep, sure can," she replied shortly. He laughed, completely unshaken by her tone. Having been paired together in nearly every class assignment due to her being a Ravenclaw, him being a Hufflepuff, and them both being top in their House, he was very much aware of how rude she was.

"Why don't you like me?" he asked her curiously as they finally got to the top of the hill. She shot him a withering look and said, "Because you're insufferable. You think you're Merlin's gift to all witches and you act like you know everything there is to know and it's infuriating."

And with that, she stomped away from him and placed a finger on the old boot sitting on the ground, waiting impatiently for the others. They slowly squished into a circle, all touching the boot except Harry. Arthur noticed last minute and yelled, "Harry, touch the boot!"

He looked startled but did as he was told and right in time. Andy felt the familiar sensation and waited patiently. When she felt it release her, she began moving her legs much unlike the others. Only Cedric, Amos, Arthur, Sirius, Remus, and herself knew how to properly land. The others hit the ground hard, causing Andy to snort and laugh hysterically.

"Bet that woke you up," Arthur joked as they all helped them up and then made their way to the campgrounds. Arthur and Amos talked amoungst themselves as Remus, Sirius, and Andy exchanged a look. They knew they were going to find a lot of fun to get into, especially with such a large group of witches and wizards all in one spot. "So do you lot just want to meet up in front of the stadium about thirty minutes before the match begins?"

"Sounds great! Come on, you two!" Sirius yelled excitedly, pulling his two friends along behind him. They laughed at how excited he was as they made their way to their campsite. It was just a small square but magic was a wonderful thing. Remus constructed the tent but then cast several spells over it before he made a grand gesture telling them that it was ready. Andy poked her head in first and saw that it was twenty times bigger on the inside, complete with a little kitchen and three separate rooms that came off of the larger living room area. She grinned at them and made her way to the room that was obviously her bedroom. She threw her bag on the bed and sat on it, testing it out. It was ridiculously soft, causing her to laugh to herself.

"I love magic," she whispered with a large smile stretching across her face.

Later that night when they headed out of the tent to go meet up with the rest of the group, they ran into Amos and Cedric. Amos clapped Sirius on the back and said, "Why, it's so good to see you looking so well Sirius. I was glad to hear that you freed of all charges last year, I always knew that it couldn't have been you."

"Thank you, Amos. Very few people really believed me besides Dumbledore, Remus, and Andy here. It took us weeks to convince Harry and the rest of the students at Hogwarts," Sirius admitted as they weaved their way through the crowd.

"Yeah, I'll admit that I was a little blown away when you were declared wrongfully charged and again when Professor Dumbledore gave you the Defense Against the Dark Arts position but after my father assured me that you were a good man, I relaxed," Cedric admitted, his cheeks turning faintly pink as he looked ashamed.

"Don't feel bad, lad. Everyone believed it, it looked pretty believable. But James and Lily were two of my closest friends and anyone who really knew us knew I would never in a million years harm them," he told them solemnly but Andy could feel his mood dropping so she reached over and looped her arm with his, giving him a megawatt smile.

"But now you are home, passing on your expertise and tricks to the younger generations. If you went back in time and told the younger you that you would one day become a professor, would you believe it?" Andy asked him. Sirius and Remus both laughed at that.

"Merlin, no. I always thought I would be professionally playing quidditch or something but honestly, I love being a professor. Sometimes it can be trying but I love it regardless," he told her, shooting her a soft smile as thanks for changing the subject.

"You were the one who fought to clear his name, weren't you?" Cedric asked Andy, eyeing the way she held his arm. Andy rolled her eyes and nodded.

"My papa told me when I was very young that Sirius Black was an innocent man so when he broke free, I sent him help and brought him into the castle and hid him in a room that only I have access to in order to keep him safe while I found proof to exonerate him," she told him as they finally approached the stadium. She could already see the group of redheads directly ahead of them.

"Well, I believe that's enough for now. You can always pester young Miss Andy when you two return to Hogwarts. We must be getting to our seats now, we shall see you lot later tomorrow probably," Amos told them as he waved and walked up the stairs with his son. Cedric threw Andy one last smile, which she returned by rolling her eyes, before the two men disappeared.

"Merlin, I hate him," she mumbled under her breath as she stalked towards the Weasleys plus Harry and Hermione. Remus and Sirius laughed at her irritation.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Remus asked her curiously. She huffed and resisted the urge to cross her arms and pout like a child.

"Because he's a bloody show off and thinks that he can get whatever he wants and trust me, after having to be his partner in every stupid class for the past six years, I am more than ready to hex that bloody smile that he thinks is just so charming right off his stupid face!" She finished her rant as she stopped in front of their group, doing her best to control her temper.

"Ah, you asked her about Cedric," Fred stated, grinning at his best friend. Her green eyes were ablaze and her curls were wild about her face, furthering her image of irritation.

"I swear he's lucky she hasn't cursed him into oblivion," George commented, throwing his arm over her shoulder. She growled lowly, causing the twins to grin widely. It was rare to get her so riled up and they loved it.

"Come on, let's get going," Arthur said in amusement, herding all the children towards the stairs. They had a good twenty-five minutes before the match began which was good because it was going to take ages to get up to their seats. They chatted quietly amoungst themselves until Sirius groaned and said, "Snake alert."

"Ah, Sirius, my disgraced cousin-in-law. How lovely to see you still fraternizing with those lower than us." Andy's head whipped around to see Lucius Malfoy and his miniature, Draco, standing on the platform below them. She rolled her eyes, the fire of her irritation reignited.

"Oh shove off Malfoy, don't you have a Dark Lord to go bow to?" Andy snapped at them. Her group looked at her in shock, she wasn't normally one to lose her temper, especially not in public. But what worried Sirius, Remus, and Arthur even more was her stunning resemblance to her mother in that moment. Their fears were confirmed when they saw the way Lucius looked at her. First it was pure shock, then confusion, then recognition.

"Ah, I see. Andraste, how lovely to see you again. We spent years looking for you," he said slyly. The younger ones of the group looked at Andy, unsure of what was going on, but the girl was simply seething. She crouched down so her face was closer to Malfoy's and she hissed, "Stay the hell away from me and my family, you sickening traitor."

And with that, she stood up and marched her way up the stairs, not stopping until she popped up at the top of the stadium where their seats were. She made her way down the row and then leaned against the rail in front of her seat, ruffling her hair and taking long breaths. A hand appeared on her back, rubbing soft circles into her jacket. "You can't lose your temper like that, Andy. It's dangerous."

"I know, I know," she sighed as she covered her face with her hands. Sirius didn't say anything but he pulled her into him, keeping one arm around her to comfort her. But when the teams came out, she shook off the last feelings of anger and irritation at herself and focused on the match. She yelled at the top of her lungs and fully immersed herself in the match, forgetting everything else. Like her and Papa, Sirius was an Ireland fan so they were shouting together at the players. While she had never been a big quidditch fan in school, she found that these types of matches were much more engaging and fast-paced. Ron and Remus were their resident Bulgaria fans but they were sorely outnumbered. At the end of the night, the Irish came out triumphant. When they took the winning score, Sirius and Andy screamed and hugged each other tightly, jumping up and down excitedly. When they pulled back laughing, Sirius put his hands on Andy's cheeks and kissed her full on the mouth. She froze and he pulled back immediately, looking at her with wide eyes. Thankfully no one else saw so Andy looked back out at the winning team doing victory laps and tried to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks, fighting the smile that played on her lips. Sirius tried to not notice these things but he did. He looked down to hide his own grin before glancing back over at her. She met his eyes with a little smirk and a raised brow. He mimicked her expression but neither of them could keep a straight face and they both burst out laughing. They both knew that what happened was because of the high emotion and they moved right past it. Sirius slung his arm around her waist like always and they walked with their group, all chatting animatedly about the match.

"And that save, Merlin!" Fred enthused, his eyes bright as he recalled every second of the game as they celebrated in the Weasley tent. Outside they could hear the party raging on.

"There's no one like Krum," Ron said in a voice of adoration, his eyes slightly unfocused as Arthur, Sirius, and Remus allowed everyone to partake in a bit of Firewhiskey to celebrate Ireland's win. "He's like a bird the way he rides the wind. He's more than an athlete, he's an artist.

The twins bumbled around with blankets over themselves, flapping their arms like awkward wings, mumbling "Krummmm!" causing the rest of them to laugh hysterically. Being of legal drinking age, Andy was allowed to drink more than the others so she was a bit more unstable.

"Think you're in love, Ron?" Ginny joked with her older brother. Grinning at each other, the twins began to sing, "Viktor I love you, Viktor I dooooo!"

Everyone else joined in, singing, "When we're apart, my heart beats only for youuuu!"

They all laughed as Ron jumped on the twins, play fighting with them. Fred's head popped up as the partying outside became increasingly louder, even Andy lazily turned her head towards the opening flap in confusion.

"Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on," he commented playfully as he continued to terrorize his younger brother. Their father came through the entrance just then and pulled them apart, yelling, "Stop! Stop it! It's not the Irish. We've gotta get out of here. Now."

Andy looked at Sirius and Remus in worry as she shook off the effects of the alcohol as best as she could. She hopped up and followed everyone out of the tent. Outside, some of the tents were on fire and people were screaming, running everywhere. Arthur stopped everyone and looked at the kids with a scared but serious look in his eyes. "Get back to the Portkey everybody, and stick together. Fred, George... Ginny is your responsibility."

With that, Fred, George, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took off towards where they came in earlier that morning. Sirius, Remus, and Andy squared their shoulders and followed Arthur towards the source of the screaming. Sirius felt a twinge of fear in his heart as he realized this was the first time she was going to have to fight and stopped, putting his hands on Andy's shoulders, and said, "Do not stun. Curse, hex, or even kill if you have to. Stunning will not help you against these people, got it?"

"Of course," she answered, her eyes steeling themselves as she nodded. He did the same before he kissed her forehead quickly and they separated. He watched her drop one Death Eater and go in for another and when he assured himself that she was going to be okay, he focused on his own problems.

Andy hadn't ever dueled someone before but she had plenty of practice in defense so it was just a matter of applying that practice. She incapacitated two Death Eaters and was working on a third when she heard a very familiar voice. "Hello Andraste. Your father looks forward to seeing you again."

"Fuck off, Malfoy," she hissed as she shot a Dark curse at the Death Eater she was facing and whipped around to face Lucius but as she turned something collided with her face and the world went black.

~After the skirmish~

"They nearly tried to arrest Harry, they thought he put the Dark Mark up in the sky," Arthur told Sirius incredulously as he jogged to meet up the man after having made sure the kids got sent home properly. Sirius was looking around frantically.

"Arthur, I can't find Andy anywhere. Have you seen her?" he asked the older man hurriedly as he turned over the unconscious bodies of fallen witches and wizards, looking for some sign of her. Arthur's eyes went wide.

"No, I haven't seen her since we left the tent. Let me send Molly a message and ask her if she's seen her." Arthur conjured his Patronus and sent it with the message before he began helping Sirius search for the missing girl. He alerted other Ministry officials that the girl was missing and told them to keep an eye out for her as well. When he bumped into Remus and told him, the man shook his head, his eyes wide with fear.

"It's useless looking for her, Arthur," Remus told him grimly. "I saw her being taken but I was being attacked by four of them at the same time, I couldn't get to her fast enough before they Disapparated with her."

"No…" Arthur whispered in horror. "She can't be…"

"We need to get back to Dumbledore. He's the only one who can help her now," Remus said, looking off into the distance as he saw Sirius coming towards them. He dreaded what he was about to have to do, especially after he witnessed the moment they had right before they split up to fight. He wasn't going to take this well at all.

~Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton~

When Andy finally came to, the first thing she did was try to sit straight up but she was yanked back by her wrists. She looked down and realized that her wrists were tied the bed post which was keeping her lying on her side. She realized that she was laying on a rather ornate old couch and was covered by a small blanket. Across the room from her was a fireplace and next to it was a large chair that was facing her. As she looked around, ignoring the throbbing pain in her temples, she realized that this was the same room she had been seeing for the past few weeks. With that realization, her heart began to beat faster as the terror set in. She heard something coming towards her and she leaned over. It was a snake, larger than she had ever seen save for Æthel. The snake was watching her carefully as it came closer. It flicked it's tongue out to taste the air and no doubt could sense her terror.

 _Where am I?_ she asked the serpent, trying to reign her fear in. The serpent recoiled, visibly surprised by her ability to speak Parseltongue.

 _You truly are Master's offspring. He will be glad to know this, and that you are finally awake,_ the snake hissed back in reply. Andy's eyes grew and she fought against her restraints even harder. Like hell was she going to come face to face with her biological father, not today. The snake laughed in its own way before it slithered away, no doubt to report back to its Master. Andy took a deep breath and then focused on the restraints. She imagined them freezing over and she closed her eyes to concentrate. When she felt the rough rope turn freezing cold around her wrists, she let out a shaky breath, relieved that it worked. She broke the rope as quietly as she could manage before trying to Apparate out of the room. When she was unable, she realized that the room must be spelled, much like Hogwarts, to stop anyone from Apparating or Disapparating from inside. So she looked at the one window and knew what she would have to do. Transforming into her Animagus, she backed up as far as she could, took a deep breath, and ran full force at the window. It shattered, thankfully, and she went tumbling onto the grass. She was luckily only on the second floor and sustained only a sprained ankle. Not having the time or luxury to worry about it right then, Andy took off. She was faster in her wolf form and she knew that. She didn't stop or even slow down until she made it well out of the little Muggle town. When she finally stopped, she transformed back into a human and used what little energy she had left to Apparate to Hogsmeade, landing right outside the gate. She didn't have the energy to get up and she felt herself losing consciousness so she sent a quick message to Sirius right as the world went black once more.

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	9. Tricky Tournaments and Old Friends

**We walk alone on our own, you can't deny, we belong  
We are young and we are free  
We talk a lot about home, but tonight, we will run  
We are young and we are free**

 **-The Griswolds; Be Impressive**

 **Tricky Tournaments and Old Friends**

"How is she?" Remus asked as he skidded to a stop in front of the Hospital Wing doors. Sirius was pacing outside as was Professor Dumbledore as Professor McGonagall watched the closed doors nervously. Sirius growled in frustration.

"She was bleeding heavily when I found her, probably happened during the battle. She was conscious and I brought her here but Madam Pomfrey kicked me out. The only person she allowed in was Severus," he hissed. He was livid that his archenemy from his school days was able to help Andy but he wasn't even allowed to see her. "They've been in there for over two hours."

"How are the Weasleys?" Dumbledore asked, trying to change the conversation. Remus sighed and ran his fingers through his thin hair,

"Just as stressed and worried as we are. Why would he do something as brazen as take the girl that the world knows to be your granddaughter?" Remus asked in confusion as he struggled to keep his irritation under control. He had been just as worried about the girl as everyone else, especially after how close he had gotten to her over the past year. Dumbledore sighed as he stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, sagging in exhaustion.

"To send a message," he said simply. Before he could elaborate, the Hospital Wing doors were thrown open and a grim-faced Severus faced them.

"She will be fine but you were right, Headmaster. The girl confirmed that it was the Dark Lord who took her," he told them. "It appears that she did not suffer by his hand, all her injuries were days old and therefore were probably sustained during the fighting."

Sirius pushed past him and raced to her bedside. Madam Pomfrey had thankfully cleared away the bloody sheets and towels and cleaned the girl up so she just looked like she was sleeping peacefully. He collapsed into the chair beside her and took her hand, holding it tightly. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall both gave the man sad looks as they could see all his emotions etched out clearly on his face. Professor Dumbledore stood at the foot of his granddaughter's bed, watching her with a sadness that was unfathomable. He blamed himself for letting her go into something so dangerous without proper training and he was lucky that she made it out of there alive. He looked over at Severus who was watching him carefully and he knew already what the Headmaster needed from him. He dipped his head in agreement before he looked back at the young girl. He wasn't particularly fond of anyone but she wasn't as airheaded or immature as the rest of her peers. She was one of the few non-Slytherin students that he could honestly say that he liked. She was open-minded and fierce and reminded him so much of his Lily. He would help the girl protect herself because she was going to need it for what was coming.

~Start of the Term~

"Now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see Hogwarts has been chosen..." Papa was cut off as Filch limped hurriedly up the aisle. Andy watched him with a raised eyebrow as he whispered something to Papa before Papa nodded and Filch went back down the aisle. "So Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. The Tri-Wizard Tournament. Now for those of you who do not know, the Tri-Wizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint hearted, but more of that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely students of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress Madam Maxime."

They all looked back as the doors were flung wide open and two lines of gorgeous boys and girls dressed in delicate powder blue dresses and white-and-powder blue suits respectively danced down the aisle, stopping at regular intervals to fling their arm out dramatically and release little blue butterflies that they conjured. Andy rolled her eyes at the very French display and at how the student body was taking it. Although, despite this, she spotted the headmistress and beamed at her. Papa had sent her to Beauxbatons for her first year before bringing her back to the UK so she was very familiar with the woman. Madam Maxime returned the large smile and gently squeezed her hand as she floated by. A few of her House looked at Andy in shock but those in her year knew that she had been a transfer from Beauxbatons her first year. It caused quite a stir amoungst her peers as usually no one ever transferred. Papa greeted Madam Maxime warmly before the woman made her way to the head table and her students spread themselves out. When she took her seat, Papa turned back to the doors and said, "And now our friends from the north, please greet the proud students of Durmstrang and their high master Igor Karkaroff."

With his introduction, lines of hardened boys and girls flooded in brandishing staffs, each of them dressed in blood red robes and thick fur coats. Every so often, they banged the staffs against the stone floors, causing sparks to shoot up. At the back of the lines, Andy recognized one of the boys as the Seeker of Bulgaria's quidditch team, Viktor Krum. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table to see Ron watching in awe. Igor and Papa embraced at the end of Durmstrang's entrance and then Igor also made his way to the head table. Then Papa faced the students and gave them all a warm smile and said, "Now that introductions have been made, enjoy the feast!"

Most of the Beauxbatons students joined the Ravenclaw table, much to Andy's excitement. She glanced over people looking to see if she could spot someone she knew when suddenly two hands covered her eyes.

"You hav' to guess 'o eet is," a soft, feminine voice said from behind her. Andy grinned, she could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Fleur!" she exclaimed as she turned and hugged her old friend. Fleur laughed and hugged her back tightly. "Ҫa va, ma chère?"

"Très bien, et toi?" the girl replied, as she settled in next to her old roommate. Andy rolled her eyes dramatically and Fleur laughed. "Si mauvais?"

"Il été très stressant," Andy said with a shrug as she helped herself to the stew that was in front of her. Fleur nodded in understanding as she opted for the bowl of salad that was to her left. Some of the others at the table that didn't know she could speak French looked at her in confusion but just shook their heads. Andy was a strange girl and everyone knew that so it really should be no surprise to them at this point. Fleur spent the rest of dinner introducing her to some of her other French friends. Unlike what the Hogwarts students thought of them, the Beauxbatons students weren't just a bunch of pretty faces. They were all ridiculously smart and well-trained so they got along well with Andy. After the feast and dessert, the students were ushered out to allow the professors to transform the Great Hall. When they were let back in, there were rows of bleachers lining the walls as well as several smaller tables covering the ground. Andy joined Fleur, her little sister Gabrielle, and a group of their friends at one of the tables.

"Your attention please! I would like to say a few words," Papa announced. Everyone in the hall settled down and watched him expectantly. "Eternal glory; that is what awaits the student who wins the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But to do this that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks. For this reason, the Ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this, we have the head of the Department of International Magic Cooperation, Mister Bartimus Crouch."

As he said that, thunder shook the building and for the first time, rain began to actually fall from the ceiling. Some of the students began panicking, some even screaming before someone shot a jet of light at the ceiling and restored order. Andy glanced at where the light had come from and saw a familiar man that she had never personally met but had seen photos of plenty of times. Mad-Eye Moody. Papa looked over his shoulder at the man and dipped his head in thanks. They exchanged words as Mr. Crouch made his way up to the podium and began speaking. "After much deliberation, the Ministry  
has concluded that, for their own safety, no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. This decision is final."

The crowd of students began to immediately throw a fit, booing and yelling at the man. It was beginning to get out of hand when Papa finally yelled, "Silence!"

Immediately, the room fell deadly silent and Andy smirked. Her papa could be scary when he wanted to be. When he was assured that no one was going to say anything further, he tapped a large box that sat behind him which melted away to reveal a large wooden goblet containing a blue flame. The students were all entranced by its beauty and watched it closely as Papa said, "The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment, the Tri-Wizard Tournament has begun."

After that announcement, they were dismissed and Andy walked with the Beauxbatons group to the main exit that led to the giant carriage where they would be staying. She hugged Fleur and promised to meet up with her tomorrow for breakfast before she headed towards her own chambers. After the World Cup incident, Papa moved her back into her personal quarters instead of in Ravenclaw tower so that way she was better protected. He also enchanted it to where she now had a new door. It led straight to a living space that she shared with Remus and Sirius and they were the only three that had access to it. Papa took her idea that she used to let Sirius into her room and applied it for the three of them so they would have a safe haven inside the castle. When she popped her head in, the two men were already in there. Remus was sitting in his armchair by the fire, reading a new text he bought on the Great War from the Muggle perspective. Sirius on the other hand was sprawled out on the sofa, staring at the fire blankly. Andy smiled to herself and came over, plopping down on Sirius' stomach, making him groan in pain. "Really Andy? Necessary?"

"Yep," she replied, popping the 'p' as she grinned at him. He rolled his eyes at her and adjusted her so he could sit up, throwing one leg over her lap and letting her lean back against the other. She played with the hem of his robe as she stared at the far wall. The two men exchanged a look. She had been doing that every single time someone wasn't interacting with her ever since she came back.

"Andy, what's bothering you?" Remus finally asked. She snapped out of her little daze and looked at him in confusion for a moment before she sighed and ran her fingers through her curls, messing them up more than they already were.

"I can't stop thinking about it. I can't believe how easy it was for him to get me, I was defenseless," she murmured to them as she sunk back against Sirius' leg, looking up at the ceiling. "I was completely unprepared."

"We know, that's why the headmaster has ordered us to begin to train you," Remus told her. Her head snapped up as she looked at him in shock. This was news to her. "I will be teaching you names and faces that you will need to know as well as defensive spells. Sirius will be in charge of offensive as well as curses and counter-curses that are important to know. And then Severus will be teaching you how to detect poisons without giving yourself away as well as Occlumency, which is a skill you will need in case you come face-to-face with the Dark Lord."

"Of course," she said, nodding along. Sirius' eyes darkened at the name of his archenemy but Andy rolled her eyes at him. "Severus has always been kind to me and you will do well to forget your childish behaviour, if not even apologize because if I remember correctly, I do remember you being the one to start the terrorizing."

"What!" Sirius exclaimed, siting straight up and looking at the girl in disbelief. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue. "That slimy git d-"

"Did absolutely nothing to deserve your hatred, Sirius Black," Andy said fiercely as she shoved his leg off her lap and stood. She gave Remus a tight smile and politely said, "Goodnight Remus."

With that, she stormed away to her room and they heard her magically seal the door behind her. Sirius growled in frustration. "She has got to be joking, how does she not see that he is the evil one?"

"She has a point, Sirius. I accepted a long time ago that what we did to Severus was just wrong and cruel and I have since apologized to him for it. He actually isn't as bad as you make him out to be and he is Andy's favourite professor," Remus said as he continued reading calmly. Sirius gaped at his best friend before flopping back on the sofa. He believed that they both lost their mind and he pouted like that for the remainder of the night.

~Later that week~

Andy sat with the Beauxbatons group in the Great Hall as they did their homework together. It was Thursday, the final day to enter the tournament. The group of girls decided to all enter their names as they were all seventeen and of age. It took time for Fleur to convince her to but finally Andy agreed to enter her name as well. They all tore off bits of parchment and wrote their names on it as well as their school before they approached the goblet. One by one, they dropped the scraps of paper into the flame and then returned to their table, giddy with the possibility of having their name pulled. They chatted about what they thought the tasks might include when they heard yelling and laughter come down the hall. The second Andy saw the twins, she groaned. Those two had been plotting different ways on how to wiggle themselves into the tournament and this was no doubt their final attempt to make it in.

"Thank you, thank you," George said in a pompous voice as he mockingly bowed to the laughing and clapping students who were cheering on their antics. "Well lads, we've done it."

"Cooked it up just this morning," Fred added as the boys held up two vials of some sort of potion.

"It's not going to work," Hermione shot back in a sing-song voice from her seat on the bench they were standing on. They shared a look before hopping down and crouching beside her.

"Oh yeah? And why's that Granger?" Fred asked playfully.

"See this?" Hermione gestured to the magical, smoke-thin line that surrounded the goblet. "This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself."

"So?" George asked, giving her a face like she was stupid.

"So," Hermione shot back in the same tone, "a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something pathetically dimwitted such as an aging potion."

"That's why it's so brilliant," George replied. They caught Andy's eye and she shook her head at them with a stern look in her eyes. They felt a bit of guilt at letting her down but they turned to each other.

"Ready Fred?" George asked.

"Ready George?" Fred asked. With that, the two idiots downed the vials of potion and then jumped over the age line. When nothing happened immediately, they cheered. Then they both tossed their pieces of parchment into the flame and high-fived each other. That was when the fire shot up and threw both of them back. All of the students watched silently, Andy already on her feet to see if they needed help. When they pushed themselves up onto their knees, they could all see that their hair had been turned white and they had long white beards. They looked at each other in shock.

"You said…" Fred began accusatorily.

"You said!" George shouted back as he tackled his brother and they began wrestling. The rest of the students laughed and cheered them on as Andy walked up to them and pulled them apart. The room fell silent as Viktor and his little posse marched in. Andy leaned in closer to the twins and flicked her wrist, ridding them of the aging hex. They looked at her sheepishly and she narrowed her eyes at them.

"Next time, listen to Hermione," she hissed at them as she helped them up. And with that, everyone resumed what they had been doing before the interruption. Andy walked back over to the Beauxbatons girls and rolled her eyes as they looked at her curiously. "My friends can be stupid at times."

"Stupeed, yez, but cute, no?" one of the girls, Angelique, commented with a sly smile, causing all of the girls besides Fleur to begin to giggle wildly. While the girls at Beauxbatons were all grade A fighters and beyond intelligent, their one downfall is that they were incredibly boy crazy. Andy just met Fleur's eyes and the two likeminded girls rolled their eyes at the rest of the group's antics. Later that night, all of the students filed into the large room, sitting in their little groups as they looked around at the darkened room. The only real source of light was the flame from the goblet that was flickering ad wavering. Once everyone was seated and quiet, Papa stepped up in front of the goblet and said, "Sit down please. And now the moment you've all been waiting for; the champions selection!"

Everyone waited patiently while Papa turned towards the goblet and the flame turned red and spat out a piece of parchment. They waited with baited breaths as Papa snatched the paper out of the air and read out, "The Durmstrang champion is… Viktor Krum!"

The Durmstrang cheered and whooped loudly for the boy as he strutted forward and made his way into the back room They waited as the flame turned red once more and once more spit out a piece of parchment. Once again, Papa caught it and read, "The Beauxbatons champion is… Fleur Delacour!"

Andy and the rest of the Beauxbatons girls cheered loudly for the blushing blonde. She dipped her head respectfully and made her way out of the Great Hall. Everyone's attention turned to the goblet as it turned red for the third and final time. Another piece of parchment floating down. "The Hogwarts champion is…" Andy saw her papa falter and her stomach plummeted as his wavering voice softly said, "Andraste Dumbledore."

Her peers cheered for her as she briefly closed her eyes, made her peace with her fate, and then stood and went to the back room. While her peers clapped and offered encouragement, she saw the way the professors looked at her. Professor McGonagall, Sirius, and Remus looked utterly horrified and she offered them a sad half smile in return to assure them that she was okay but the truth was that she didn't even know if she was okay right now. Fleur was peeking around the corner, waiting to see who the Hogwarts champion was and she recoiled as she saw Andy. "Oh no…"

"Hey, Fleur. Looks like we'll be competing together," she said with a weak smile. Fleur put her arm around her friend's waist and led her into the room where Viktor sat. He looked up as they entered and he dipped his head in acknowledgment to her. She returned the gesture and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, I'm Andraste Dumbledore."

"Viktor Krum. You are the Headmaster's granddaughter, no?" he asked her in a gruff voice. She nodded and he dipped his head again, satisfied. Then they heard someone else come through the door and they turned to see Harry stumbling into the room, looking highly confused. Andy looked at him in terror and he looked back at her like a fish gasping for air. Neither Fleur nor Viktor sensed that something was off and Fleur asked, "Do they need us back out there?"

Before she could even finish that sentence, a group of adults bustled into the room. Papa went straight to Harry and grasped his shoulders, shaking him slightly and asking him, "Harry! Did you put your name in the goblet?"

"No sir," Harry barely managed to say as he shook like a leaf.

"Did you ask one of the older students to do it for you?" Papa asked as he maintained eye contact.

"No sir," Harry repeated, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Are you sure?" Papa pressed. Andy saw the fear in Harry's eyes and she placed her hand on Papa's arm in attempt to reign him back in. She had never seen him lose it like this.

"Yes sir," Harry said definitively. Madam Maxime huffed in indignation and threw her arms up.

"Well of course, he iz lying!" she yelled at Papa. Papa shook his head but Alastor Moody beat him to it.

"The hell he is. The Goblet of Fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object, only an exceptional powerful conjurer could have hoodwinked it, magic way beyond the talents of a fourth year." Andy was skeptical of the old man, there was something off about him. But her papa had recruited him to help keep an eye on her and Harry after her kidnapping and she had to put up with him constantly.

"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought, Mad-Eye," Igor spat at the man. Andy raised a brow at the open hostility and made a mental note to research it later.

"It was once my job to think as dark wizards do, Karkaroff, perhaps you remember," the grizzly man shot back with equal venom. Papa gave him a look and said. "That doesn't help, Alastor. I'll leave this up to you, Barty."

Everyone looked at the Ministry official and waited, Sirius with his arm over Harry's shoulder and Remus and Andy hovering close by. Mr. Crouch looked around at all of them and sighed heavily. He finally said, "The rules are absolute, the Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice. He is, as of tonight... a Tri-Wizards champion."

Igor, Madam Maxime and their students began arguing angrily with the man as Papa gave Andy a look that told her to get Harry out of there. So without anyone else noticing, she linked arms with boy, cast a Disillusionment charm, and led him out of the room. He was too shocked to even notice where they were going until she was stopped in front of a portrait. He shook his faintly, shaking off the trance he was in and said, "This isn't Gryffindor tower."

"No, you're right, it isn't. This is my tower, you're going to stay here tonight until all this calms down," she told him as she removed the charm and the portrait of her ancestor smiled at her softly.

"Ah, Andraste, how was the tournament meeting? Who is Hogwarts lucky champion?" he asked her curiously. She sighed, her mood fully ruined, and said, "We both are, Grandfather."

"Pardon me, what?" he asked her as he slipped back into his usual stern expression. "Go up, we will be here shortly."

The portrait swung open without her giving him the password and she obeyed with a sigh. She was no doubt about to be chewed out for her fantastically bad decision. She led Harry up the stairs that popped out into her room and he took it in with wide eyes. She conjured another smaller bed against the wall, pushing her bookcases out of the way. He sat down and murmured his thanks but he was barely able to get the words out before four apparitions appeared through the wall. "Andraste Philomela Slytherin, what on earth do you mean you are a Tri-Wizard champion?"

"Exactly what I said, Grandfather," she said, suddenly feeling a lot more tired than she should have. "I put my name in with all the other girls and mine and Fleur's were two of the four chosen."

"Four? But there's only three schools," Rowena pointed out in confusion.

"Yeah well tell that to the goblet. It chose us three and then it spit out his," she gestured toward Harry, "name but the problem is that he didn't put his name in so someone else tampered with it but now that he's in the tournament, he can't back out."

"Merlin…" Helga mumbled as she looked at Harry with sadness. "Such a terrible fate."

"Andy, are those…" he whispered, his voice cracking severely. That was when she realized that he never knew that the Founders were still in the castle. She groaned and ran her fingers through her already messy hair.

"Yes these are the Founders, yes they still haunt the school, yes Salazar Slytherin is my grandfather, yes I know it is totally wicked, can I please go to sleep!" she finally yelled as she flopped onto her back and covered her face with a pillow.

"Get some rest, Andraste. We will speak again soon," she heard her grandfather say softly. She sat up only once she assumed they were gone and saw Harry looking at her in slight terror.

"I'm sorry about that, Harry. My temper has been out of control lately," she apologized and she magically changed into her pajamas and did the same for him.

"No it's fine, it's just that…" He stopped and thought for a moment before he said, "Your eyes changed for a moment."

"What?" she asked in confusion. That hadn't ever happened before, not that she knew. Harry nodded as he calmed down.

"Yeah, they changed to blue," he told her as he crawled under the blankets. Blue? How odd... Andy pondered this as Harry said, "Goodnight, Andy."

"Goodnight Harry," she murmured absentmindedly, turning off the lights as she laid down as well.

 **Updated as of 08-26-2016**


	10. Super-sized Serpents and Pesky Emotions

**Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees  
Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes  
But my heart is beating and my pulses start  
Cathedrals in my heart**

 **-Coldplay; Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall**

 **Super-sized Serpents and Pesky Emotions**

It was late November when Andy met what she believed to be the bane of her existence. A thin, ridiculously dressed woman who went by the name Rita Skeeter. Andy had heard of her and her outrageous stories beforehand and was now being forced into doing an interview with her, much to her irritation. She took them aside one by one to interview them and Andy was next to last after Fleur, Harry having gone first. When the woman beckoned Andy to join her after Fleur rejoined the group of champions, Andy squared her shoulders and walked towards the woman. She sat and crossed her ankles politely, tilting her head slightly and narrowing her eyes as she assessed the journalist. Rita gave her a sickly sweet smile and leaned forward, her quill enchanted to write by itself, and said, "Ah, yes. Andraste Dumbledore. How long I have waited to meet you. How does it feel to be the granddaughter of the most powerful wizard of our time?"

"I love my Papa. He expects me to be my best and I am. He's a wonderful mentor and grandfather," she said with no emotion, watching the quill write exactly what she said. Good. Rita narrowed her eyes slightly and her smile turned into a bit of a smirk.

"And what of your relationship with your professors?" she asked slyly. That threw Andy off.

"Pardon me, I don't understand what you mean?" she asked in confusion. Rita's evil grin grew.

"Why, I am simply referring to the reports that you have a relationship with your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Sirius Black," she said in a wicked tone. Andy looked at the woman in disbelief and glanced over at the quill to see it writing of its own accord. _She blushes and looks down nervously at the question. "How'd you know about that?" she asked in shame._ "You lying bitch!"

"Wha-" Before Rita could fully protest, Andy leapt across the small space and slapped her hard across the face, grabbed the quill, snapped it in half, and then lit the notepad on fire nonverbally. Then she grabbed Rita by her golden curls and pulled her face within inches of her own and growled, "You will simply report that I am happy with my role here at Hogwarts, I plan on becoming a professor at the school next year, and I love my grandfather a lot. That is all. Anything more and you will get a very real wake up call."

With that, she shoved the woman away and let her stumble and fall to the ground in a heap. She stalked over to where the other three watched with their jaws almost on the ground, shocked at her actions. Andy knew she was losing it more and more each day but she didn't want to admit it out loud. Harry eyed her cautiously as she perched on the edge of the armchair he sat in and said, "You might have taken that a bit far, Andy."

"I know," she said quietly but she kept her defenses up. That woman would not see her weak. "I keep losing my temper more often. I need to destress, all of this has me wound so tightly."

"Yeah, I'll say," he commented back. She ignored his tone but later that day, she made her way down to the dungeons and knocked on the door to the potions classroom. A couple beats later, the door was flung open by the Potions Master himself. Surprise flitted through his eyes at the sight of the seventh year girl but he stood back to let her in regardless. They usually met on Wednesday nights for their training and other than that and class, she had no reason to be down in the dungeons. She stormed in, running her fingers through her hair and letting out a puff of air as she sat on one of the benches. She looked up at him with tired eyes and said, "I need your help. I'm losing it."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he conjured tea for them. She was the only person that he would go to any lengths to be courteous to and she accepted that and never questioned him on it, certain that he had his own reasons. She accepted the cup with a soft thank you and took a hesitant sip before she continued.

"My temper. I keep getting so ridiculously angry over everything," she told him, exhaustion lacing her voice as she spoke. Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she mumbled around the cup, "And I possibly attacked Rita Skeeter today."

"You attacked someone?" he asked in shock as he sipped a bit of the tea, looking at her, studying her for answers. She sighed and nursed the cup in her cold hands.

"I know, I know. I was being rash but she insinuated that I was having an affair with Sirius and I lost it," she told him as she vented, feeling the same tendril of anger from earlier. Severus snorted.

"Yes well I suppose I would be prone to violence as well if someone suggested I was having relations with that fool," he said, his sarcastic humour bringing a smile to her face which had been the goal. He took another sip of tea, assured that she wasn't beyond his help.

"I know right? It's ridiculous. But I lost it, and I have been losing it more often ever since the summer began," she admitted to her potions professor. He nodded, remembering seeing glimpses of her nightmares as well as the times she was rude to someone. It was no wonder she was losing her grip really.

"Have your nightmares continued?" he asked her. She shrugged slightly as she took another sip and swallowed the warm tea.

"Sometimes but only on the nights when I pass out before I can put up my barrier," she told him truthfully. She knew he was going to tell her practice more or go to bed earlier but it wasn't always that easy.

Much to her surprise, he did neither of these. Instead he just nodded and said, "I understand. In that case, we just have to work towards you putting up your barriers constantly until it becomes so easy, you don't even have to think about it."

"Why does that sound like it's going to be ridiculously difficult?" she asked him with a slight groan in her voice. He smirked at her.

"Because it is." Taking pity on the poor, overloaded girl, he threw in, "And in return for doing extra practice, you do not have to write that essay for my class. Your homework from now on is simply to practice keeping your mental barriers up at all times."

"Really?" she asked him incredulously, almost jumping up and hugging the man. He continued to smirk at her as he sipped the tea. She gave him a giant smile and said, "Thank you, sir. You won't be disappointed."

"I know I won't, Andy," he replied with the same soft, casual tone he always used with her. Everyone knew that she was his favourite pupil of all time, she was every professors favourite, but it was a much more stunning feat to be the only favourite of Severus Snape. No one ever commented on it though, out of fear of what the man might do to them. When she finished her tea, she thanked Severus and left the dungeons. She made her way slowly up to her room, taking the time to think about what he had said, when she ran into someone. She stumbled back but two hands went to her waist, steadying her. She looked up to see Sirius looking down at her with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk.

"Well fancy running into you here," he said as he let go of her waist. He looked behind her and narrowed his eyes. "Why were you in the dungeons?"

"I needed to speak with Severus, why does it matter?" she asked, her temper already rising back up as she crossed her arms at him. Remembering the last time that he put his foot in his mouth and the month it took her to forgive him, he wisely chose to just keep his mouth shut.

"I'm just worried about you," he said. He carefully changed the subject by saying, "Harry told me what happened earlier."

"Oh Merlin," she muttered as she let her head fall onto his chest. "You heard about that?"

"Don't worry pup, I don't think anyone outside of the champions, myself, and Remus is aware of what went down," he assured her, petting her hair softly. "Are you okay though?"

She let out a long breath and shook her head, her head still on his chest, as she murmured, "No I do not think I am. I keep losing my temper and it's hard for me to keep it together."

"Pup," he whispered as he tilted her head up gently, searching her eyes with concern. "Why didn't you tell me of this sooner?"

"I didn't want you to worry," she whispered back, blinking back the tears that threatened to well up and overflow. Sirius took notice and crushed the girl to his chest. Except she wasn't a girl anymore. She was a month over eighteen years old and had already had a brush with war, a taste of what was coming at them full force. She buried her face in his chest and held on to him tightly as he pressed soft kisses into the top of her hair, keeping her wrapped tightly in his arms. He would be lying if he tried to say that he felt nothing for the girl but she was far too young for someone as weathered and old as him. Despite this, he promised himself right then to watch over her for the rest of their lives, regardless of who goes first. When he was certain that she was no longer crying, he scooped her up bridal style and carried her towards the entrance to his quarters. Thankfully it was out of the way so no one saw the two of them as he entered his room with the girl. She was staring numbly into the distance, not even noticing the movement until he sat her down on his bed. She looked at him, startled, but he simply conjured a chair and sat beside the bed, grading essays from one of his classes. She smiled at him but he didn't see it. His brow was furrowed as his silver eyes flitted over the parchment, scratching comments on the essay. His long, wavy hair falling in front of his face that he kept pushing back behind his ear. She smiled as she sunk into the pillow, watching him closely. He was devilishly handsome and she knew she was crazy for him but she also knew it was highly inappropriate right now, as she was still his student. But once she graduated… Her smile turned into a smirk as she closed her eyes and succumbed to the peaceful tides of unconsciousness.

She felt an arm curl around her waist and pull her backwards into a firm chest and she opened her eyes in shock. She turned over and saw Sirius blinking sleepily at her, giving her a soft smile. "Hey there, gorgeous."

"Sirius?" she asked questioningly. She didn't understand why he was in bed with her but she turned until she fully faced him. He hummed happily and slid his hand down to her thigh and hitched it over his waist, pulling her closer so he could nuzzle into her neck.

"Yes, love?" he mumbled against her skin. She felt her breath becoming short. She had never been this close to a man before and she didn't quite understand the way he made her feel.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, attempting to control her breathing. He looked up at her in confusion before smiling at her.

"Silly girl, I promise I'm just cuddling you," he said solemnly, mistaking her tone as her worrying about something else. She blushed at the implication and he chuckled, the sleepy huskiness of his voice sending shivers down her spine. "Go back to sleep."

Before she could reply, he pressed his lips to her lips and she felt her body come alive as he pulled her even closer, gripping her waist tightly as he moved gently against her. Right as he pulled back to see her face, she awoke with a gasp. She caught Sirius looking at her curiously before he continued to move about the room, getting dressed. He thankfully already had his trousers on but he was shirtless and Andy felt all the emotions she felt in her dream hit her like a train. He wasn't overly muscular but he was defined and lean, lithe like a hunter, and it drove the new emotions in her wild. She felt the blush creep further up her neck as she squirmed further under the duvet, hiding herself up to her eyes. He rose his eyebrows at her strange behaviour and said, "Calm down, pup, I'm getting dressed as fast as I can. I didn't expect you to be awake so soon."

"No, it's fine," she whispered, trying to keep the odd emotion out of her voice. Lust. That's what it was. She was experiencing lust. He apparently heard something because he looked at her oddly before finishing buttoning up the shirt.

"You want me to grab you anything from breakfast?" he asked her as he made his way to the door.

"Just a pear if you see one," she said softly. He looked at her, trying to figure out what was wrong, before he shrugged it off and headed to the Great Hall. It was a Sunday thankfully so she had nothing to do today. She immediately jumped up and with a flick of her wrist, his bedding was thoroughly cleaned. She felt this odd sensation in her lower area and she quickly made her way to his bathroom. She stripped carefully and realized that it must be a product of her arousal. She blushed heavily and hopped into his shower, cleansing herself and scrubbing her skin with the soap repeatedly until she felt clean of the feelings she experienced. She spent longer in the shower than usual trying to regain her composure before she finally shut the water off, wrapped up in one of his towels, and got out of the shower. She summoned a new outfit and went as far as to burn the outfit she had slept in. When she was dressed in the clean outfit, she felt much better than she had when she woke up and she exited the steamy bathroom to come face to face with the subject of her thoughts. Immediately she fought to regain composure of her thoughts once more as he smirked playfully at her, holding up a pear. She ignored the new feelings and gave him a wide smile, taking the pear and biting into it.

"I see you made yourself at home," he commented playfully as he flopped back on his bed with his hands up under his head. "Do you feel better? You didn't sound too good earlier."

"Yeah I just had a bad dream," she told him, only partially lying. Either way, he bought it and he nodded sagely.

"I guessed as much, you were tossing and turning a bunch in your sleep last night," he commented as he stared up the ceiling. She blushed lightly as he openly admitted to watching her sleep but she just shrugged, taking another bite of the pear. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," she finally said after swallowing the bite. He nodded and grinned at her and she dipped her head back before hightailing it out of here. She made her way to her own quarters and when she shut the door behind her, she sagged against the door and let out the breath she had been holding in around him. She really needed to get a handle on herself.

Later that week, Fleur snagged her as she was leaving the Great Hall, pulling her to the side. The blonde looked about her, checking for eavesdroppers and to make her feel more comfortable, she cast the muffling spell that she often used when talking with Hermione. When she nodded at Fleur telling her to go ahead, the girl straightened up and said, "Ze firs' challenge iz dragons. Madam Maxime told me thees morning."

"What the hell," Andy exclaimed, looking at her friend. Fleur nodded, her face grave and as serious as death. "You're joking."

"I wish. Please do not waste any time, mon amie," her friend begged her, holding her arm tightly. "These challenges 're not a joke."

"I understand, Fleur. Merci beaucoup, bonne journée." She kissed the girl on the cheek before she hurriedly made her way to Remus' classroom. Thankfully he was done with classes for today because she just busted through the door and marched up to his desk, hopping up on top of it and putting her face into her hands as she screamed in frustration.

"Merlin, Andy!" the older man exclaimed as he jumped up and ran over to the front of the desk to see if she was alright. "What happened?"

"Dragons! They're sending us up against bloody dragons!" she yelled into her hands as she kicked her feet furiously, trying to get all her irritation out.

"How could you possibly know that?" he asked her curiously.

"I dunno, I assume Hagrid let it slip to Madam Maxime because Fleur just grabbed me and told me that that's what her headmistress told her. Bloody dragons, Remus!" she yelled, throwing her hands up to the heavens and glaring at the wall in frustration. "And on top of all my classes and receiving letters from Oliver and the thing with Sirius and it's all just so-"

"I'm sorry, what thing with Sirius?" Remus asked, interrupting her. She realized too late that she said too much and she went bright red, clamming up. Remus raised his eyebrow and said, "Well?"

"It's nothing, just a silly crush," she murmured as she kicked her feet, nervously this time. Remus' eyebrow raised even farther as he looked at her skeptically. Finally, she snapped and yelled, "I'm just a stupid little girl and he's this hardened, experienced man and he couldn't possibly ever see me as more than his student and occasionally his friend so drop it, I'll get over it!"

Remus visibly recoiled at her tone and she immediately deflated. Knowing better than to continue to prod an open wound, he changed the subject. "You know that dragons are just large serpents right?"

~Day of the First Task~

Andy sat calmly on the edge of one of the chairs that Viktor sat in. Since her incident with Rita Skeeter, he approached her and often sat and talked with her about all manner of things. They weren't super close but they had an understanding of each other which was all that mattered. He also asked her for advice on how to ask Hermione out, which she happily helped him with. Fleur was pacing by the entrance and Harry was clutching his stomach, looking vaguely ill. Rita's photographer snapped a few shots of them but after their last run in, the vile woman knew it was best to keep her mouth shut. They stayed like that until Mr. Crouch and the heads of the three different schools came bustling in. Papa ushered them all together as Mr. Crouch held a bag out, instructing them, "Champions, in a circle around me. Miss Delacour over here, Mr. Krum, Miss Dumbledore next to him, and Potter over here. Right. Miss Delacour, if you will..."

With that, Fleur carefully stuck her hand into the bag that was proffered to her. She flinched as something happened and then withdrew a miniature moving replica of a very real dragon. Mr. Crouch 'ooh'ed and said, "The Welsh Green."

Next up was Viktor who got the Chinese Fireball, a nasty dragon but easy enough to fool. When it was Andy's turn, she nonverbally charmed her hands in the event that the miniature dragon would attempt to attack her. She withdrew the first one she grabbed and heard Mr. Crouch say, "The Swedish Short Snout, very good."

Harry went last and he pulled possibly the most difficult dragon, the Hungarian Horntail. Andy and Harry shared wide-eyed looks of terror before Mr. Crouch continued, "These represent very real dragons, each of which has been given a golden egg to protect. Your objective is simple, collect the egg. This you must do, for each egg contains a clue without which you cannot hope to proceed to the next task. Any questions?"

No one piped up so Papa clapped Andy on the shoulder and said, "Very well. Good luck, champions. Andy, at the sound of the cannon-"

His words were cut short as Mr. Filch fired the cannon too early, signaling the start. Papa rolled his eyes good naturedly before ushering her out. She threw him one last glance before she took a deep breath and walked out into the arena. She crept behind the large boulders as she spotted her target, turning its giant head left and right, no doubt sensing her. She looked at the hundreds of people watching her and she knew she was about to blow her cover but she needed to win this. As calmly as she could, she revealed herself. The dragon immediately snarled but before it could attack, she said, _Please do not attack, I come bearing information, oh fearsome one!_

The dragon was obviously not expecting that and she stopped mid-growl to cock her head to the side. Andy took this as permission to continue, keeping her hands above her head in a surrendering position. _Your captors have placed a false egg amoungst your real offspring. If you but check, you will see I tell no lie._

The dragon narrowed her eyes at the small human girl, the whispering from the crowd above becoming louder as more and more of them realized she was talking to the dragon. The mother dragon turned around and sniffed the eggs, narrowing her eyes at the metal egg and growling at it. She then whipped back around to glare at the human girl, asking, _And what do you want with it?_

 _Simply to remove it, m'lady, nothing more,_ Andy told her honestly, taking another hesitant step closer. The dragon eyed her up and down closely before stepping aside and laying on her belly calmly, giving Andy full permission to walk up to her nest, take the golden egg, and walk away without harm. The crowd, despite their confusion, cheered loudly for their first champion who made it in and out in under a minute. When she made it into the second tent where she would await the others, Madam Pomfrey looked at her in surprise. "My girl, how on earth did you get in and out so quickly?"

"I simply asked her to give me the egg," Andy said with a shrug as she plopped on one of the empty beds, curling up to nap until the task was over, curling her body around the beautiful golden egg.

"Andy, wake up," she heard faintly from above her. She blinked lazily, slowly shaking off sleep as she looked up at the source of the voice. It was Viktor. He looked slightly singed but otherwise okay. "They're announcing our scores."

Andy nodded and let the Bulgarian man help her up and linked arms with him as they walked out into the arena, Fleur linking with Andy on her right and then dragging Harry into it by linking her right arm with his left. The also slightly singed boy blushed at female contact but the four of them walked out into the stone arena a united front which was what the tournament was about. The crowd went wild seeing them like that and Mr. Crouch was waiting for them on a sort of miniature stage in the center of the arena. They all joined him on top of it and he smiled at each one of them before casting a Sonorous charm to project his voice. "Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang students and staff, you have just witnessed our first task and what a task it was. We will begin with fourth place. Due to near death and sloppy use of the Conjunctivitis curse as well as damage to real dragon eggs, Viktor Krum is rewarded twenty points."

The Durmstrang crowd booed loudly but the boy merely shrugged, accepting the defeat. He knew when he saw the broken eggs that he would be penalized. Mr. Crouch continued. "Next, in third place, is Mr. Harry Potter who is awarded thirty-two points. Despite excellent maneuvering, the dragon did cause an incredible amount of danger to everyone present and was almost freed completely and nearly killed Mr. Potter himself."

The Gryffindor crowd took up the booing this time as Harry looked down, his cheeks turning bright red at his blunder. Mr. Crouch patted his shoulders and went on. "In second place, with thirty-eight points, is Miss Fleur Delacour for excellent use of the sleeping charm although she was docked points for nearly catching fire."

The Beauxbatons girls cheered for their champion; second place was still staggeringly good odds. Andy smiled at her friend but Fleur gave her an even larger smile and Andy fought the giddiness that rose up in her as Mr. Crouch turned to her with a sly smile and a twinkle in his eyes, announcing, "And last but by no means least, our first place winner with a perfect score of forty points, Miss Andraste Dumbledore, for excellent use of her natural skills and lack of any sort of magic, relying on pure natural born ability, and managing to complete the task both under a minute and without sustaining any injury."

The crowd, primarily Ravenclaw House, cheered loudly for her. She blushed lightly as she grinned up at all of her peers, squeezing Fleur's hand as she used her other hand to wave to everyone, feeling the joy make her stomach flop and fill with butterflies. She could get used to this feeling.

Later that night when she finally made it back to her quarters, there was a note left on her bed in Sirius' messy handwriting.

A,

Meet us in the living room once you get back

S.B.

She rolled her eyes at how he signed the letter but nonetheless made her way over to the staircase that led to their shared living quarters and when she pushed open the door, a chorus of voices yelled, "Congratulations, Andy!"

She stood in the opened door, stunned. In the living room was Papa, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Sirius, Harry, Hermione, Fleur, Viktor, Severus, Luna, and the twins. She grinned at them and laughed as she let the door close behind her, hugging Sirius, who was closest to her. She was passed around from person to person, hugging each one tightly. "Thank you all so much."

"Of course, you deserve it," Hermione told her with a beaming smile. Andy returned the smile and kissed the side of her head, looking around at her friends. They were all mingling about the small living room, eating and chatting. Even Severus was conversing with Viktor and Remus, as surprising as it was. Fleur threw her arm around Andy's waist while Andy had her arm around Fleur's waist as well and her other arm over Hermione's shoulder, grinning as they laughed at a joke Fleur made referring to Hermione and Viktor. They saw the flash of a camera go off though and looked up to see Sirius grinning mischievously as he lowered the camera.

"I vant to zee eet!" Fleur demanded as she took the camera from him, waiting for the photo to develop. Andy rolled her eyes at her French friend and wrapped her arms around Sirius' waist as she smiled up at him. He wrapped his arms loosely around her and smirked back at her, his eyes alight. Neither of them noticed the flash go off but they did hear Fleur cooing, "Aw, how cute, zay 're."

Andy looked over her shoulder to see her two female friends grinning wickedly at her. She blushed and snatched the developing photo from their hands, tucking it safely in her coat pocket as she said, "Watch it, you two."

"Oh, let them have their fun, Andy," Sirius said slyly, winking at the two younger girls, making their grins grow. Andy rolled her eyes and stalked away from them, heading to join Severus' group. She smiled at the three men as she grabbed a cup of Butterbeer from the table beside them and asked, "What are you three discussing?"

"The recent attacks on Muggles that have been happening since the World Cup incident," Remus told her gravely. Andy choked on her sip of Butterbeer and she coughed as it went down wrong, taking another sip to soothe the feeling. When her throat was clear, she croaked out, "Pardon?"

"After the attack on the World Cup, a handful of Muggle houses have been ransacked and pillaged, leaving corpses behind. I think the body count is up to thirteen as of yesterday," Severus told her. Andy felt her mood plummet and she shook her head sadly.

"I am all for magical power but the killing is too far," Viktor said softly. Remus nodded in agreement before he sighed, clapping the younger man on the back.

"It's a sad world we live in," he told the boy before changing the subject. "So how do you feel about walking into the second task?"

With that, Andy wandered away and stood with her Papa, watching as the groups of her family slowly merged into one large group, all chatting together. The twins on one side of Professor McGonagall as they attempted to playfully harass her into making them prefects, Luna on the professor's other side chatting with Fleur and Sirius. Hermione and Viktor were discussing their plans for the Yule Ball and Remus asking Harry about whether or not he had thought to buy a new set of dress robes as he also commented to Severus about how Slytherin house had changed over the years since they were in school whenever Harry turned to Viktor and Hermione to ask their advice on what to wear and who to ask. "This is all because of you, child."

"What?" Andy asked in confusion as she looked up at her papa. He smiled down at her in his usual manner.

"You brought them all together. You are capable of such wonderful things, Andraste. You are only beginning to catch a peek at your potential."

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	11. Bad Parenting and Ruined Dresses

**Oh please believe me  
I'm more scared than not  
That this isn't the way**

 **-LP; Into The Wild**

 **Bad Parenting and Ruined Dresses**

Andy was sitting on a bench out in the courtyard when someone sat down next her. She looked over to see Mini Malfoy sitting next to her, smiling wickedly. She rolled her eyes and looked back down at her book and asked, "Can I help you, Malfoy?"

"No but I can help you," he said with a smirk. She looked back at him with an incredulous look and a raised brow.

"Excuse me?" she asked him in disbelief. He moved closer to her and she shivered out of disgust.

"I will be your date to the Yule Ball," he told her, his chest puffed out proudly. "My father says that because of your… bloodline, you are the only respectable date for a young Malfoy such as myself and in turn, I am the only respectable date for someone of your position."

She looked at him, his disbelief growing before she burst into laughter and shook her head. "Yeah no thanks," she said, still chuckling. She saw the anger well up in his eyes.

"And why is that?" he asked her in a voice that she didn't quite like. Remembering who his father was, she decided to play it safe.

"I already have a date," she said quickly. Draco raised his eyebrows and asked, "And who are you going with?"

"Uh…" she tried to come up with a name and she regrettably blurted out the first that came to mind. "Cedric Diggory!"

"Ah…" Mini Malfoy said as he looked her up and down before he walked away. She waited until he went inside before she cursed loudly and stood up, looking around. She knew Cedric would be out here as well; his group always hung around outside when it was nice out. She tucked her book into her bag as she took note of the ridiculous Huffle with his posse sitting on the half-wall across the way. She braved herself and marched across the courtyard to Cedric. He saw her approaching and raised his eyebrows, hopping down off the wall and saying something to his friends before meeting her halfway. "Hey, what's up Andy?"

"Okay this is going to sound utterly ridiculous but know that this was not by my choice but will you please be my date to the Ball," she asked him hurriedly, ignoring the blush on her cheeks as best as she could. Cedric's look of confusion doubled.

"Why me?" he asked her. She sighed and explained the situation to him. He chuckled at her predicament but nodded regardless. "Yeah, that sounds good to me. Saves me the trouble of having to ask anyone. Wanna just meet up in the Entrance Hall?"

"Yep, sounds good to me," she said, thanking her lucky stars that he was making this as painless as possible. She dipped her head and then walked away as fast as she could to get back into the castle. Well, now she had a date, she just needed the dress…

~Night of the Yule Ball~

Sirius checked his appearance in the mirror once more as he straightened his bowtie. Remus chuckled as he fixed his cufflinks. "Quit being so vain. Where's the pup?"

"She should be down here in a moment, she's up there with Fleur," Sirius replied as he turned to face his best friend. Right as he went to shoot back about the vanity comment, the door to Andy's room swung open and Sirius was unable to speak. She floated down from the stairs wearing a pure white, strapless princess gown that flowed to the ground, faintly brushing the stone. The bodice was covered in small blue and white crystals that glittered and reflected with the candlelight. It gathered at her left hip and then the pure white fabric was open to reveal the same glittering blue and white crystals on the fabric that was showing in the slit in the fabric. Her heels peeked out as she glided forward, a sparkling white colour. The greatest shock was that her wild curls were a shocking white-blonde and not by the use of any dye from what he could tell. Her curls were pinned up in an intricate up-do that had a few loose strands dangling around her face and brushing her back. She had the top lid of her eyes lined with a thin line of black and then her lids were covered in a sparkly silver eyeshadow with black mascara plumping up her lashes and small silver dots under her bottom lashes, making her newly silver-blue eyes pop out more than usual. Her lips were a soft pink, nothing outrageous. Sirius couldn't breathe with how beautiful she was and he saw a natural blush cover her cheeks as she saw how he was looking at her. He didn't even take notice of Fleur as she took Remus' offered arm but Sirius remembered to offer her his arm and she took it shyly. As they exited the living quarters, he leaned down and whispered, "You look beautiful tonight, Andy."

"Thank you," she replied quietly but she couldn't help the smile that her lips curled into. Sirius noted this and wanted to howl in satisfaction, knowing he caused that smile. She looked more grown up in that moment than he had ever seen her. He led her to the Entrance Hall and he regrettably knew that that was where he was going to have to leave her side but he truly didn't want to. He wanted to be the one to dance the night away with the stunning woman but he knew that for now, it was frowned upon and he knew he would just have to accept that. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sirius passed her off to the Diggory boy and tried to ignore the way he looked her up and down appreciatively as he went into the Great Hall with everyone else. He grabbed a drink from the bar that was open to the staff and of-age students and downed it in one gulp. Remus came up beside him as the champions made their grand entrance and led the first dance. Remus saw where he was staring, at the stunning girl who was dancing with the charming Hufflepuff, and sighed, patting his best friend on the back.

"In a few months, she will be graduated and everything will sort itself out," Remus assured his friend. Sirius nodded but he couldn't help the fears that popped up in his mind. What if she didn't really want him? What if she was disappointed with how old he was and the difference between their ages? He couldn't stop those fears that plagued him. Then he felt hands dragging him on to the floor to join the dance and looked as his best friend incredulously. Remus grinned wildly. He was typically the shy one out of the rest of the group but he knew that Sirius needed to cheer up so he sacrificed his dignity to put a smile on his face. Sirius laughed in disbelief as his best friend twirled him around like a princess, putting a mock serious face on and bowing to him. Sirius rolled his eyes and went with it, much to everyone's amusement including his own. A few minutes into the dance, Remus felt a hand tap his shoulder and stopped, looking over his shoulder to see Andy herself smirking as her eyes danced with amusement. Sirius struggled to remain composed at the sight of her but managed to throw her one of his usual smiles which she gladly returned before she looked back at Remus and asked, "Mind if I cut in?"

"Go right ahead," he said slyly as he slinked away to go find another dance partner. Sirius immediately went into the masculine position for the dance and she moved with him flawlessly. Even with his years, she wasn't going to lie; Sirius looked incredibly handsome all dressed up and she just couldn't help herself. So for a decent length of time, she let herself get lost in her little fantasy world with him, ignoring everyone else. She wasn't sure how long they were like that until someone tapped Sirius' shoulder and he paused their dance to look at whoever it was. It was Cedric, funnily enough. "May I cut in?"

"Of course," Sirius forced himself to say, doing his best to give the boy a light-hearted smile as he passed Andy off to him for the second time that night and then made his way over to the rest of the professors. Cedric gave Andy his usual charming smile to which she struggled with the impulse to roll her eyes in reply.

"Why don't you like me, Andy?" Cedric asked her, not for the first time. She sighed and shook her head as they moved in rhythm together to the music.

"I've already told you time and time again why I don't like you Cedric," she said, tired of having this same old conversation over and over. That's when he took his hand off her waist to cup her cheek and force her to look up into his eyes.

"I don't buy it," he murmured softly as he leaned closer to kiss her. Being her first kiss besides Oliver, it could've been worse. It could have also been way better. Especially because she legitimately disliked the person pressing their lips to hers. She shoved him backwards off of her and gave him a glare that would have lit him on fire if she hadn't been holding back before marching over to the bar. They verified her age and then gave her the glass of Firewhiskey which she sipped gratefully. She didn't see where Cedric slipped off to and was hard pressed to care because if she saw his stupid face again…

"Well that was interesting," a voice said from beside her. She looked over to see Remus standing there, sipping something of an amber colour out of a similar glass as he watched the other dancers. She snorted and shook her head, taking another gulp of the burning liquid.

"Interesting isn't the word I'd use for it," she said sourly. She finished off the rest of her glass and then asked the bartender for another. Having two drinks in one go probably wasn't the brightest idea seeing how drunk she was but she didn't want to feel right then. So she took the second glass and threw it back in three large gulps and ignored the way it made her stomach churn. She set the second glass down as well and looked at Remus who was watching her carefully and she said, "I'm going to bed."

"Okay, Andy…" he said, unsure of how to feel about the situation. He caught Sirius' eye as he talked to Minerva and beckoned him over. He made some excuse to her before he made his way over to Remus looking confused. "What's up?"

"Andy just downed two glasses of Firewhiskey and the girl can barely handle one and she looked pretty upset so you can you please follow her back to our quarters to make sure she's okay?" Remus asked him, quickly filling him in on everything he needed to know about the situation. Sirius nodded and then took off out the same exit the girl took.

As Andy made her way along the corridors, she ended up having to place one hand out against the wall to stop herself from falling over. As she carefully made her way towards the portrait of Salazar that would lead her to her room, she heard noises from one of the alcoves she was approaching. When she peeked into it, it was not a sight she wanted to see. A fellow Ravenclaw, a bitch she despised named Cho Chang had her fingers tangled in Cedric's hair as his hands slid up what was exposed of her thighs, their lips locked like they were eating each other alive. She sucked in a ragged breath of air and they heard her, both whipping around to see her standing there with wide eyes. Cedric went to say something, regret written clearly across his face, but she shook her head and started running. She wasn't sure where she was, having taken every turn she came upon and not paying attention to her surroundings, but she finally collapsed on the ground, the combined alcohol and fast movement doing a number on her.

She slightly regained consciousness as she realized she was moving but when all she saw was familiar dress robes, she closed her eyes once more.

When she opened her eyes again she was looking a strange man she had never seen before directly in the face. Her tongue felt dry and heavy and she couldn't speak before her eyes closed again.

When her eyes opened again, she felt stinging pain all over her body and she winced as she felt a fresh sting on her left arm but as hard as she fought, she still couldn't stop her eyelids from closing shut.

When she finally blinked awake, she realized two things; one, she was very high up, and two, her arms were tied behind her back.

Now, Andy didn't have a fear of heights but being tied to the side of a tower where the pointy heels of her shoes barely fit on the ledge wasn't her idea of fun. She decided to not look down as the alcohol intake from the previous night, as it was daylight out, was not friendly on her stomach right then. That's when she felt the stinging again so she looked at her body and had to bite back a scream. She was covered in open wounds that were trickling blood and from the feel of it, she even had one on her cheek. She also saw something black that had been painted on to her dress but the rest of her dress was either ripped or stained with bright red blood. Her head suddenly started spinning faster and she sent a distress signal to Papa, Remus, Sirius, the twins, Fleur, Hermione, and everyone else she could think of. She needed help immediately. While she waited, she closed her eyes and did her best to not cry. She pushed the pain to the back of her mind and she took deep breaths and didn't move her feet, assuring herself that she was going to be a-okay. That's when she heard it.

"I knew when I first saw you that you were indeed my golden child but you continue to prove yourself." Every atom in Andy's body froze. "Here you are, intoxicated, grievously injured, and centimeters from falling to a very painful death yet you manage to stay calm and send for help without batting an eyelash. Very impressive, my dear Andraste."

"Why are you here?" she managed to croak out.

"To see my daughter, of course." Andy bit back the bile that threatened to rise up. "Also to give you a piece of advice. Take the golden egg into the bath with you and open it under water. That is the only way you will hear the message."

"Wait, what the hell?" she asked in confusion, her smart mouth taking over against her better judgment. "I'm sorry but I know Lord Voldemort did not risk being seen and attacked to give me a heads up on the tournament."

The voice chuckled as Andy felt an ice-cold hand brush the tendrils of hair on her neck and she had to restrain the shriek that threatened to burst forth out of her. "Why, I only want to see my precious daughter succeed and bring honour to our family. I shall see you again soon, Andraste."

She struggled to keep her breathing composed as she heard footsteps somewhere beneath her. She forgot that she was up high and she glanced down. She realized she had been tied to the front wall that faced out into her normal courtyard where she read. She wasn't as high as she feared but a fall from this distance would surely still kill her. She looked down to see everyone she sent the signal to rushing out into the courtyard, looking around frantically. As loud as she could, she croaked out, "Help!"

Remus heard her (thank you, lycanthropy) and whipped around, looking up. His went wide and he whispered, "Dear Merlin."

The others turned to see what he was looking at and were all just as terrified. A bloodied and seriously injured Andy had her wrists tied behind her back to an outcropping loop of stone against the wall and was balancing the very points of her heels on the ledge. Her dress was in tatters due to large gashes from which she was bleeding and the once stunning dress was covered in bright red blood and dark black paint. Whoever attacked her had painted the Dark Mark on the front of her dress. Professor Dumbledore's eyes went wide—he had never seen his granddaughter like that before—and without another word, he slashed his wand in different movements and they watched as Andy fell into unconsciousness and her body dropped, the ropes having been severed. Dumbledore controlled her descent so as to not wake her and hovered her a bit off the ground until Sirius could scoop her up. The two men exchanged a nod and then Dumbledore said, "Right, everyone form a circle around Sirius. Some of the students may already be out of bed so we need to get her to the Hospital Wing quickly and quietly."

They all chorused their agreement before closing in around Sirius who was struggling to blink back tears. The first time this happened, she only sustained a broken ankle and a cut to the back of her head but this… He struggled with the impulse to blame himself for not getting to her soon enough but he knew that it wasn't his fault, whoever got to her was a lot more dangerous than they were expecting. As they carried her, they did have to make their way through more students than what they were expecting but one of them didn't just give them a curious look and keep going. He spotted the body Sirius was carrying and he yelled, "Andy?!"

"Mr. Diggory, I advise you to shut your mouth unless you would like to be the reason that Hufflepuff loses a hundred points," Professor McGonagall hissed at the boy, grabbing his arm and dragging him along, knowing that he had seen too much and it wasn't safe to leave him there with no briefing on how he was to handle the situation.

"What happened to her, Professor," he asked in a shaky voice. Professor McGonagall's stern eyes softened into sadness and she shook her head.

"I'm not quite sure, Mr. Diggory," she told him honestly. "All we know right now is that Andraste was attacked sometime last night after she left the Ball."

He couldn't find the words, all he could do was look at her bloody body hanging limply in Professor Black's arms and he felt the guilt settle heavy in his stomach. If he hadn't acted foolish and respected her enough to not upset her the way he did, she wouldn't have run off the way she did. He didn't voice any of this though as they burst into the Hospital Wing, terrified of what the others would do to him. Madam Pomfrey looked up in surprised and then she gasped, jumping up and bustling to the nearest infirmary bed, gesturing for them to lay her there. She shooed everyone besides Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape so the rest of the group sat themselves on beds and chairs on the opposite wall, facing the unconscious girl. Fleur was covering her mouth in horror as Viktor held her up, his face grim as he watched the two professors and the mediwitch work quickly on their friend. The twins were holding Hermione as she cried softly as the both of them watched the three adults in shock. Harry sat beside them on one of the cots with one leg tucked up under him, looking at the girl he had hardly gotten to know despite how kind she had been to him and who had still trusted him enough to call him when she was in trouble. Professor McGonagall sat in the chair beside the cot they sat on, her arms wrapped around herself as she tried to stop herself from shaking and Remus sat on the cot on her other side, his hand rubbing soft circles into her shoulder as he attempted to comfort her, his eyes on the too-still girl he had grown to love like a baby sister. Sitting beside him was Cedric Diggory who watched in horror and sadness and another emotion that Remus, who could sense the guilt rolling off him in waves, couldn't place. On the other side of the bed, Sirius paced back and forth, doing his best to keep his panic under control. They stayed like that for hours, no one speaking, just waiting. They all waited for a sign that the girl they all loved was going to be okay.

They didn't get their sign until nearly five hours later when Severus came over and dragged a chair up by Minerva and Remus, flopping into it with an exhausted sigh. His hands were bloodied and as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, he stared at the bright blood of his favourite student and fought the emotion welling up in him. Instead, he quietly announced, "She lost a significant amount of blood and was highly intoxicated but it turns out someone had slipped a Muggle drug into her drink so she wasn't able to detect it, we haven't gotten to Muggle drugs and poisons yet…"

"Severus, this was not your fault," Minerva admonished him, reaching across to grab his hand and hold it tightly. His face betrayed nothing but he squeezed her hand back and nodded.

"She sustained over sixty cuts to her skin, some deeper than others, and all infused with Dark Magic. We were able to successfully heal all of them but the three deepest of the lot are going to scar, there wasn't anything we could do about it," he reported as he sat up straight. Harry, Hermione, Cedric, and the twins were watching him with wide eyes as they saw him with his walls down for the first time. His eyes didn't look like their usual stony, emotionless selves. No, today his eyes looked defeated and tired and sad. He made eye contact with Minerva and he tried to convey as much emotion through his eyes as said, "We thought we nearly lost her."

"Well we didn't because she had you and Albus and Poppy here to patch her back up," Minerva told him, squeezing his hand again. He nodded absentmindedly as he looked at the wall behind her. He glanced over his shoulder as he felt hands rest on his shoulders but he could tell it was Albus so he relaxed. The old man's voice was exhausted as he said, "She needs to sleep and we need to make an announcement before the rumours start."

"What do you suggest we tell them?" Minerva asked, looking up at him. His eyes looked sad but determined.

"The truth. The truth is the only thing that can protect us." With that, he moved quickly out of the Hospital Wing as his deputy headmistress rushed after him. The rest of them moved across the room to where Andy laid on the pristine white sheets, looking as if she were merely sleeping, just like last time. Sirius took the chair directly beside her and held her hand, rubbing gentle circles into her pale skin. Fleur sat at her feet with one leg tucked up under her as the twins, Harry, Hermione, and Cedric all sat on the cot to her left and Viktor, Remus, and Severus sat side by side on the cot to her right. And there they sat silently, watching and waiting for her to wake up once more.

Albus called a school-wide meeting and asked Igor and Maxime to have their students attend as well. All of them filed into the large hall and took their seats, chattering about what he could want to talk to them about. Even the professors, save for Minerva, were in the dark. He knew that most of them took in his and Minerva's disheveled appearances and the whispers grew louder until he silenced them.

"May I please have your attention, there has been an incident last night." That worked spectacularly as the entire hall fell silent as they waited for his words. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Last night, someone drugged my granddaughter and then viciously attacked her as she was on her way back to her quarters. She was found this morning bleeding severely and marked by the Dark Mark."

At this, everyone in the hall began to lose their minds. Some people were screaming, others were looking around in terror, and the room was total chaos until Minerva projected her voice and yelled, "Everyone will sit down and be silent this instant!"

Everyone, even the foreign students, could sense that she wasn't a witch they wanted to mess with so they obeyed although they all looked like they were itching to run for it. Albus gave his second-in-command a grateful smile before he continued. "We are launching a full investigation but until the culprit is caught, everyone is to travel in groups of three and a curfew will be in place. Patrols will be stepped up and two extra sets of prefects from each House's pool of sixth and seventh years will be chosen so that way we can patrol the grounds more heavily. Any other information will be passed on to you immediately."

With that, the large crowd of students broke into a riot of whispers and fearful glances. Then he noticed a group of Hufflepuffs start a trend. They magically pushed the tables around them back and conjured fluffy sleeping bags for themselves and their friends, including two Durmstrang boys and a Beauxbatons girl. Albus watched with a soft smile as more and more the students joined in this until he waved his wand, moving the tables back down to the kitchens, to give them more room to spread out. Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, Beauxbatons, Durmstrangs… They all looked like one as they sprawled out across the hall in little circles and larger groups and those boundaries were erased as they found comfort in each other in this moment of terror. Minerva whispered to where only he could hear, "This is why you wanted to make the announcement."

"Indeed," he answered honestly as he eyed the unity happily before making his way to the side exit. "Sometimes tragedy is the only thing that can unite us, crossing borders and prejudices and making us all see one another as fellow human beings."

 **A/N**

 **That last bit was in honour of the tragedy this world felt after the massacre in Paris, the bombings in Baghdad and Beirut, and the earthquakes in Japan and Mexico. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families who are suffering and I hope that we will be able to come together as one species and rise above this. Much love to any who were affected.**

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**

 **I would like to clarify that Cedric kissing Andy is major to her due to the fact that Oliver was mainly concerned with quidditch and his grades, not really giving any thought to the physical affection bit of a relationship.**


	12. Missing Officials and Guard Snakes

**So come on lovers, come on haters  
Tonight we raise the fire  
Cause when the people get to dancing  
They forget about taking sides**

 **-Walk The Moon; Different Colors**

 **Missing Officials and Guard Snakes**

Andy was finally allowed to leave her tower the day classes resumed in January under the strict orders that she walked with Cedric and Fleur to and from every class. She was fuming at what she thought was a ridiculous precaution until the twins informed her that it was a new rule imposed on everyone, meaning the Terrible Trio now looked less suspicious and were able to get up to even more mischief. Andy was expecting the ridiculous amounts of sympathy but what she got were loyal declarations to watch out for her and threats towards the person who harmed her. Andy was slightly taken back but she slowly realized that while she was confined to her room, something had happened in the school. She saw two Slytherins, a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw, and two Durmstrang students all studying together in alcove as she walked to Transfiguration. In class, they weren't forced to pair up as the two Houses weren't sitting on opposite sides of the room; they were willingly mixed together. Another new trend that was going around was that someone was making patches that looked like a shield but were a combination of the three schools' banners. Students were magically sticking them on their robes, Hogwarts students covering their House patches with the new ones. Little by little, the three different uniforms had begun to merge together and they were becoming one large school. Andy saw the changes all around her and watched in wonder. She looked at Fleur and Cedric in disbelief and they grinned at her.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Cedric commented as they sat together at one of the smaller tables that replaced the House tables to eat lunch. Fleur bumped her shoulder playfully and said, "Zis iz all you, 'ndy."

"What?" Andy asked in bewilderment as she grabbed a sandwich off the plate in front of her. Fleur had already taken a bite but she nodded, Cedric answering for her.

"After Dumbledore told everyone what happened to you, everyone banded together. They've been like this ever since. Every night, they sleep together in the Great Hall and they're refusing to confine themselves to old prejudices. Even the snakes are getting out of their pureblood mania mindset." Andy shook her head incredulously, unable to believe what she was seeing until the Terrible Trio and their more innocent fourth year counterparts plopped down at the table along with two unfamiliar Beauxbatons girls, a Slytherin named Blaise, and Luna. Luna, Hermione, and the two Beauxbatons girls were wearing the same outfit; pale blue and grey flowy plaid skirts with thick grey leggings underneath, a matching powder blue button down that was tucked into the skirt with a grey sweater over the top of it and then uniform black ties and black cloaks that were held together at their throats with a simple silver clasp. The boys' outfits were a bit more basic; they kept their same solid black pants and grey sweaters but their usual white button downs were also powder blue and their cloaks were lined with fur like the Durmstrang boys' were. Like the others, the tri-school patch was displayed proudly on their grey sweaters. Andy shook her head as she beamed at them.

"I love it," she said, barely able to keep the extent of her happiness out of her tone. Hermione grinned back at her before waving her wand, transforming Andy's own uniform to match the new one. Andy laughed, unable to restrain her joy and she hugged the younger girl before she sat back up and introductions were made. Blaise was apparently the Terrible Trio's newest recruit and now they were a quartet. The two Beauxbatons girls were sisters (one was fourteen and the other was seventeen) that had befriended Hermione and Luna in the library, helping them study. Harry and Ron were introduced to them later and the younger girl, Charlotte, was taken with Ron, Andy could already see it. As she talked with their group of friends and ate lunch, she realized that she could get used to this.

Opposite of what her better instincts told her, Andy listened to the creepy voice of the person she assumed was her father and opened the golden egg under water to realize that he hadn't been tricking her and it had worked. She tipped the other three champions off because she felt it was only fair to have an even playing field. She already practiced using the Bubble Head charm and therefore wasn't too concerned about it as she made her way out to where the champions were lining up, looking over heads to try to spot Sirius or Remus. Fleur and Andy both wore simple one piece swimsuits that were plain black with the tri-school patch over their heart. Viktor and Harry were dressed in black swimming trunks and a grey, athletic tank top with the same patch over their heart as well. All of them had their last names printed on the back of their swimming attire with a number underneath their name representing what place they were in. Andy leaned around people and gave everyone a tense but polite smile as she struggled to find Sirius. She managed to spot Remus but their shaggy-haired friend was still nowhere in sight. As Papa began talking, she shrugged it off, assuming he was probably elsewhere watching.

"Welcome to the second task. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the black lake. In order to win each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that they'll be on their own," Papa explained to the crowd. "You may begin at the sound of the cannon."

Immediately the cannon went off and all four of them leapt into the water. Andy cast her Bubble Head charm before she even hit the water and used magic to propel herself forward. She maneuvered her way towards where she heard singing, the same singing she heard from the egg, when she heard the muffled voice of her papa from above her announce that Fleur had been removed from the task due to being unable to complete it. She felt concern for her friend but she continued on. She knew she was far ahead of the other two as they were using basic swimming instead of magic but when she arrived at the source of the singing, she hid in the tall weeds for a moment to assess the situation. Tied to the lake floor were four people; Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and Fleur's little sister Gabrielle. While she watched the merpeople who swam around, looking a lot more vicious than what she remembered, she saw Harry but with gills and webbed feet swim his way into the center and cut Ron loose with a sharp rock. He went to get Hermione as well but the merpeople threatened him with their tridents so he took Ron and got out of there. Sighing, Andy swam forward and watched as all the merpeople eyed her carefully. As she released Sirius, something that resembled a shark but with human legs sped past her and severed the rope around Hermione's ankles and dragged her upwards. Upon closer inspection, she saw the words 'Krum' printed on the back of its shirt and she smiled to herself. When she remembered that Fleur had been disqualified, she looked over at Gabrielle and made the decision to free her regardless. When she went to sever Gabrielle's ropes and the merpeople hissed at her, she whipped around and hissed back, letting her magic crackle about her, causing her wild curls to flare out and her eyes to burn holes in her attackers. They must have sensed that she wasn't playing any games with them and they immediately backed down. She finished severing the rope and then pushed Gabrielle and Sirius upwards together before she swam after them, shooting the merpeople one last look. When her head broke surface, she heard everyone cheering wildly. She saw Sirius helping Gabrielle up on to the platform with the help of Fleur and then Harry and Viktor helped the man up. He turned and saw Andy swimming towards them with a giant grin on her face and he reached down and picked her up out of the water by himself, hugging her tightly. When he finally let her go, she was grabbed by Fleur who thanked her over and over again, hugging her tightly and doing her best to not cry. Andy held on to her, rubbing her back soothingly and reassuring her over and over again. She was wrapped in warm towels by Harry who was already covered in one and he handed one to Fleur so she could wrap Gabrielle up as well. Sirius had been handed one by Ron and he stood beside the soaked redhead, Hermione, and Viktor. The whole group huddled closer to conserve body heat as they awaited their scores.

"In third place, receiving no points, is Fleur Delacour due to her inability to complete the task. In second place, receiving thirty points, is Viktor Krum for returning back within the hour limit and ingenious use of transfiguration. In first place, tied with forty points even, is Harry Potter and Andraste Dumbledore. While Mister Potter returned first with his lost treasure and made excellent use of gillyweed, Miss Dumbledore fought to free not only her treasure but also her friend's, Miss Delacour's, even in the face of attack. For this, both participants are awarded forty points. So in first place is Miss Dumbledore, with an even eighty points. In second place is Mister Potter with seventy-two points. In third place is Mister Krum with fifty points. In fourth place is Miss Delacour with thirty-eight points. Well done, champions," Mr. Crouch announced, patting each of them on the back as the crowd went wild. The other champions hugged Andy tight on placing first yet again. She felt warmth as she was huddled inside their little group, despite the frigid February weather and so she smiled to herself.

Later that night as she relaxed on her bed with Sirius laying his stomach at the foot of her bed, both of them reading, a phoenix Patronus appeared in the center of her room and when it opened its mouth, Papa's voice came from it, saying, "Barty Crouch has been taken. Karkaroff and Severus have reported feeling their old Marks burning again. Fudge refuses to act or even acknowledge the death, much less call off the tournament. Find Remus and stay together, we are not safe."

Sirius looked at Andy as the apparition disappeared and she groaned, flopping backwards on her back. "We literally can't catch a break."

"So should I just summon Remus and have him meet us in here?" Sirius said as he sat up, dangling his feet off the bed. Andy sat up as she had a sudden thought and she shook her head.

"No… No, tell him to meet us in front of the first floor girls' lavatory."

When they made it down to the lavatory, Remus was pacing in front of it, looking around nervously. He jumped as they came up but then relaxed, whisper-yelling, "Merlin, you two! Why did you want to meet here?"

"Just follow me and try to not freak out," she told them as she pushed them into the lavatory and locked the doors behind them, sealing it with several layers of magic. She went right up to the sink with the serpent on the faucet and said, _Open._

The two grown men watched in shock as the sink sunk into the floor and the other sinks around it widened to reveal a tunnel leading downwards and a staircase that spiraled downwards to the ground below. Andy didn't even hesitate to jog down the stairs and the two men exchanged looks before hurrying to catch up with her. When they reached the bottom and they started following Andy down one of the brightly lit tunnels, Remus finally asked, "Andy, where the hell are we?"

"Somewhere under the castle," she answered simply, like there was nothing odd about this situation. Remus and Sirius looked at each other before Remus tried again.

"Where are we going?"

"The Chamber, to see Æthel," she replied without hesitation, taking a turn that ended in a giant vault door covered in shining snakes with emerald eyes.

"Excuse me, but isn't that your pet basilisk?" Sirius asked in a bewildered tone, looking at Andy like she lost her mind. "What on earth are you thinking?"

Andy whipped around and matched his look of disbelief with one so ferocious that she dared him to contest her as she said, "I am _thinking,_ Sirius, that she has two sets of eyelids so she can still move about without harming anyone. I am _thinking_ that if I let her go in the forest, that stops anyone from coming at us from that side which eliminates one possibility and also, I am _thinking_ that the forest is where Mr. Crouch was last seen and therefore the kidnapper might return to the scene of the crime and if he does, he will have a nasty surprise waiting for him which is no less than what he deserves."

Sirius blinked and backed away from her intense glare before she whipped around and opened the vault door, striding into the Chamber as if it were her home. Remus gave his best friend an exasperated look, knowing that girl was still in a fragile place after he attack, before he followed the younger girl and Sirius rolled his eyes before following them as well. The large Chamber was slightly intimidating to the two Gryffindors but they refused to show it as they sucked it up and continued onward. They could see the massive, coiled serpent resting on the stone floor but it never hit them how giant she was until she raised her massive head and looked at the approaching figures. She could smell more humans besides her Mistress so she already had her first lid closed, making her eyes appear milkier. She hummed happily as Mistress stroked along her nose, the two other humans standing a good distance from her warily. She nudged her Mistress and asked, _Who are they, Mistress?_

 _They are good friends of mine. There have been some incidents above ground._ With that, Andy launched into a full explanation of everything that had happened since she last saw Æthel over the summer and then ended by telling her what her plan was. The grand serpent nodded her head slowly as she listened to the information she was provided with. When she finished explaining, Æthel said, _I would be honoured to help you, Mistress. I will guard the forest until the criminal is caught._

 _Thank you, Æthel,_ Andy replied sincerely, pressing a kiss to the serpent's nose. She blinked lazily at her Mistress and flicked her cheek with her forked tongue before she made her way past them, heading to the vault door.

"Where is she going?" Remus asked Andy quietly, in awe of the creature as they saw her full size as she uncoiled and made her way down the long walkway.

"There is a tunnel that leads directly to the forest that I created in my fifth year so she would be able to hunt with ease. It can only be opened by me so no one can accidentally stumble upon it," Andy explained as they also left the Chamber. While the serpent had gone to the right, they went back the way they came. "She will keep her first lid closed just in case an innocent stumbles into the forest but she agreed to watch our backs from that side."

"Well then…" Sirius commented, struggling for words. "The perks of being a Slytherin, I suppose."

Andy laughed as she led the way out and she sealed the Chamber behind them. They slipped out of the lavatory and after checking both ways, the three of them ran up the staircase, heading for the third floor entrance to Andy's personal quarters. They were almost home free until they heard voice say, "And where do you three think you're heading to?"

"Shit!" Sirius cursed on reflex, jumping a foot in the air as all three of them whipped around to Severus standing right behind them, watching them with a raised eyebrow. Remus and Sirius looked at each other nervously but Andy simply smiled at Severus and beckoned him along.

"Come on, I'll explain in my room." With that, she continued on and opened her passageway, standing back to let the others file up first before she followed after them. Sirius immediately plopped down on the bed, displacing a sleeping Amiya much to her displeasure, while Remus settled into the armchair next to one of the bookshelves. Severus looked around curiously before Andy gestured for him to sit on the daybed that Harry occasionally slept on whenever he couldn't get any rest in the Tower. Severus took a seat and then looked at her expectantly, already aware that she was the ringleader of whatever they had been up to when he caught them. "I released Æthel into the Forbidden Forest."

"I'm sorry, come again," he shot back immediately, his face deadpan and his voice monotone as tried to deny what he just heard but the girl—who had apparently chosen to stick with blonde hair and silver eyes from now—stared back at him, an open book.

"I released my basilisk into the forest. She's watching our perimeter," Andy told him. Once again, Remus and Sirius marveled at how she managed to sound like this was a totally normal thing to do while Severus looked at her with a raised eyebrow, the extent of his emotional response. Unlike the two Marauders, he helped raise Andy and was more than used to her way of thinking.

"Why did you release her without telling anyone?" he asked her, in strict professor mode. She rolled her eyes but answered anyways.

"Because we had to act quick. A man has already been kidnapped and I was attacked, both of which happened on our school grounds. At least with her out there, we will know for sure that there isn't anyone lurking about in the forest, waiting for their next victim," she told him. In all fairness, her plan was a sound one.

"And what if someone who isn't the kidnapper runs into Æthel?" he asked.

"She has two lids, she has agreed to keep the first lid closed so that even if a human was staring her dead in the eyes, they wouldn't be petrified nor killed," she answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Well I'm satisfied," he replied with his usual bored tone, shrugging. Remus and Sirius looked at the man they thought they knew with their jaws almost on the ground, not for the first time that night.

"You're joking," Sirius exclaimed. "There's no way you're okay with this."

"Unlike you, Black, I trust Andy's mental capabilities. Possibly because I have known her for her entire life but I mean…" Severus stopped with a smirk as Sirius growled at him. Andy rolled her eyes at the show of testosterone but didn't bother to comment. She knew that the two men were always going to have an almost built-in hatred for each other and there was nothing she could do about it anymore.

"So… should one of us tell Dumbledore?" Remus asked after a minute of tense silence. They all looked at each other as they had completely forgotten about the old man. Andy gave them all a sheepish grin and ruffled her hair a bit.

"Nah, he's good, we'll tell him tomorrow. He's got too much to worry about right now," she reasoned, the grin never wavering off her face. She knew that her papa was likely going to give her a look that would make her hide in the Chamber for fifty years herself but she did what she thought to be best and in the end, she was going to stick beside her decision. Besides, even Severus agreed with her so how bad of an idea could it really be? They all looked around at each other yet again. "Now what?"

"That is a good question, Andraste, and I believe the answer is sleep," Sirius told her before transforming into his Animagus form and curling up at the foot of her bed. Remus rolled his eyes and looked at Severus before gesturing to the door, asking the man if he wanted to go to bed as well. Severus nodded and gave Andy one last look before he followed Remus down the stone staircase. Andy waited until she heard the portrait click back into place before she transformed as well, curling up next to the man she was slowly falling in love with.

 _Sirius?_ she asked quietly. His ears perked up and he turned his face to look at her.

 _Yes, pup?_

 _I know who attacked me,_ she admitted. He pushed himself straight up then, laying on his stomach with his paws out in front of him. She rolled off her side and mimicked his position, her ears lying flat. _It was Him, Sirius. I heard his voice, he spoke to me. He said he was testing me to see if I was really his daughter and that I exceeded his expectations. And then he was the one who told me how to solve the clue for the second task._

 _Andy! Why didn't you tell Dumbledore any of this, or at the very least Severus!_ he demanded her, looking at her like she lost her mind. She whined softly and dipped her head.

 _I was scared to say it, I didn't want anyone to worry,_ she said lamely. He gave her a look that showed how much he didn't believe her. She sighed softly and laid her head down, covering her face with her paws. He sighed as well and laid his head down beside her, close enough for it to feel intimate without being inappropriate. She closed her eyes and the day weighed down on her, lulling her into its dark depths. Sirius watched as the girl faded into sleep and sighed, knowing that this year was going to be the hardest one yet for her. But for now, he was able to curl up around her and nuzzle his face into her fur and fall asleep, his senses washed over by her familiar scent of lavender

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	13. Bitter Betrayal and New Attitudes

**So you gotta fire up, you gotta let go  
You'll never be loved 'til you've made your own  
You gotta face up, you gotta get yours  
You never know the top 'til you get too low**

 **-Imagine Dragons; I'm So Sorry**

 **Bitter Betrayal and New Attitudes**

The next few months passed without much incident, other than the occasional nightmares. Severus continued to teach Andy how to perfect her Occlumency skills as well as poison identification, renewing his efforts after her attack in December. By April, she was able to fully block anyone, even from surprise attacks. He was impressed and even started teaching her how to use Legilimency, just in case. Sirius focused on teaching her useful battle spells that they had been taught in the first war, even some that were slightly frowned upon. It didn't matter though, Papa had given him free reign and even the materials to teach her said spells; anything it took to protect her. Remus spent their time together introducing her to photos of Death Eaters as well as sympathizers to the Dark Lord's cause, to keep her well-informed and at least on the same playing field as the opposite side. He also taught her counter spells and defenses to keep her safe if she was at a disadvantage and couldn't attack. That was how she spent her time until the third and final challenge. The champions were made aware that it would be held inside of a maze and that the Tri-Wizard Cup would be at the heart of the maze. The first champion to find it would be crowned the victor of the first Tri-Wizard tournament in decades.

The night of the final task, she stood in a line facing the entrance to the maze. They were inside of the quidditch arena, all of the spectators filling the stands around them. Harry stood at one end and Andy stood at the other, both in front of the two entrances. Viktor was next to Harry and Fleur was next to Andy, as they would be going in after Andy and Harry, who were in first and second place and therefore got to enter first. Mr. Bagman was the new announcer, due to Mr. Crouch's prolonged disappearance. He explained the rules to the spectators before letting the champions know that the first and second place champions could enter at the sound of the cannon. Andy and Harry exchanged small smiles before the cannon went off and they both ran into the maze.

The second she entered, she heard the maze close up behind her, no doubt about to reform a new entrance to make sure the champions weren't all on the same two routes. Not wasting another moment on thinking about irrelevant notions, she took off. Being raised in a castle that liked to change its staircases and often had sections wholly untouched for centuries, she had a fairly decent sense of direction. She ran into more obstacles than she was even ready for, on top of the constantly shifting barriers of foliage. By far the worst obstacle in her opinion were the gigantic cockroaches she found twenty minutes in. She resisted the urge to scream and run the opposite way and instead disintegrated them, attempting to ignore the level of joy she got in watching them disappear into ash. She could think of nothing she was horrified of more than cockroaches. She also ran into a sphinx who trapped her with riddles but being a Ravenclaw, she flew through them with ease until finally the sphinx left her alone. She was approaching the shining end to her route when suddenly a dark haired boy came barreling down the path to her right. She realized it was Harry and he was yelling, "Go, go, go! Andy, go!"

"What the hell, Harry!" she yelled as she ran alongside him. He was panting but they didn't stop.

"Someone put Krum under Imperius, he already took out Fleur and he's after us, go!" he yelled. They burst into a clearing that was the source of the light. There, sitting upon a pedestal, was the glittering Tri-Wizard Cup. They looked at each other before Harry yelled, "We take it together, let's just end this before he hurts someone!"

Right as Andy went to agree, a green light shot past them and they looked over their shoulders to see a deranged Viktor running at them. Instead, Andy screamed and the two of them lunged for the cup at the same time but the second they touched it, she knew there was something wrong. She felt the familiar dragging sensation and she felt her stomach drop.

The cup was a Portkey.

When they finally landed, they hit the ground hard. Harry groaned and Andy automatically went into defense mode. She slowly made her way to her feet, crouching in front of the younger boy as he slowly regained his balance. He whispered as he hid behind her, "Andy?"

"Harry, shut the hell up and listen to me. That was a Portkey and this is Little Hangleton," she explained hurriedly as she stood up, recognizing the large manor at the top of the hill whilst they had landed inside of the graveyard. "Someone rigged the tournament and we are in serious danger."

"I remember this from a dream…" Harry commented quietly as they moved together from gravestone to gravestone. "Andy we need to get out of here now!"

But of course, by that point it was too late. The two of them could see a strange man approaching them, holding a bundle of cloth in his arms like a child. Andy cursed silently under breath as she heard the voice, the same voice she heard in her dreams and from her assailant, say, "Restrain them, Crouch."

"Yes Master," the man replied, waving his wand that caused vines to grow up out of the ground and shackle Andy's wrists and ankles whilst Harry went flying back against a large statue of the angel of death that became animated for a split second to move its scythe across Harry's neck, effectively stopping him from escaping. Then the voice once again commanded, "Do it now!"

"Yes, Master." With that, Crouch dropped the bundle into a large cauldron that was in the center of the clearing of headstones, right in front of Harry and Andy.

"Bones of the father, unwillingly given." Crouch levitated a bone out of the grave that Harry was standing upon before dropping it into the cauldron.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed." He raised his own arm and cut it off, screaming in agony as it plopped into the murky liquid and Andy resisted the urge to vomit. He composed himself with a few raggedy breaths before continuing.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken." He stalked towards Harry with a twisted grimace and ran the same blade down Harry's forearm, the young boy gritting his teeth against the pain, before taking the blood collected on the blade and dripping it into the liquid, turning it a vibrant red.

"Tears of the offspring, lovingly relinquished." Oh Merlin. This was why she was here. Crouch came towards her with the same mad gleam in his eye and stood right in front of her before punching her hard right in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain and her eyes to smart with tears against her will. He waited until two trickled down her cheek and he caught them on the same bloody blade, nicking her cheek in the process before dripping the tears in and turning the potion a dark, bloody red.

"The Dark Lord shall rise again." With that, the cauldron burst into flame and melted away, leaving the newly reformed Lord Voldemort who clothed himself in shadowy robes. His eyes flicked open and they were red and in slits like a snake's. He had no nose, just serpent-like nostrils. His skin was ghastly pale and he was taller than most humans, scrawnier than even Sirius was when Andy first found him. She watched in horror as he looked around, his thin lips rising into a dark smirk as he caught sight of Andy and Harry. Then he turned to the man named Crouch and coldly said, "My wand."

He handed the wand to him and then Voldemort said, "Hold out your arm."

Crouch looked at his Master in confusion before placing the arm that was whole into the waiting hand. Andy watched as Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand to the Dark Mark tattooed on the forearm there. They watched as the sky darkened and shadows zoomed down to the ground, solidifying into people clothed in the same shadowy robes as their Master, all wearing skull masks. Andy and Harry exchanged horrified looks as they realized that they were Death Eaters.

"Welcome my friends. Thirteen years it's been, and here you stand before me as though it were only yesterday and yet," he said in a tone that was so fake friendly that she almost wanted to be ill before his facial expression changed to one of mock sadness. As he spoke, Crouch healed his arm with his wand, grimacing in slight pain. "I confess myself disappointed, not one of you tried to find me."

One by one, he slashed at the hooded figures, calling out their names, all names that Andy recognized. They watched as the figures were dropped to their knees as the Dark Lord moved in on the one remaining Death Eater and hissed, "Not even you, Lucius."

He slashed his wand at the final man and he hit his knees in front of the serpentine man, he looked up with a shaky yet defensive look in his eyes. Andy couldn't bite back the hiss as she laid her eyes on the blonde devil for the first time in months and heard him say, "My Lord…Had I detected any sign or even a whisper of your whereabouts…"

"There were signs, my friend, and more than whispers," he shot back with a hiss. He felt a prick of pride as he heard his daughter's low hiss from behind him. Apparently Malfoy was a key to her anger which would be useful later on.

"I assure you I never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present each day since your absence, that was my true mask," the blonde man said feverishly.

"It's all a bloody act, if you fall for his sniveling lies then I am ashamed to say we share blood," Andy spat, speaking for the first time since his resurrection. A dark grin spread across the Dark Lord's face as he turned to face his child.

"Why, my darling Andraste, you should know that I know he is lying. He simply hasn't outgrown his usefulness and therefore I will allow him to live in the fear of knowing that one day, despite all his begging, he will be useless to me and therefore disposable," he told her as he strode towards her slowly, reaching up and brushing the small cut on her cheek, healing it when he pulled his hand back. She eyed him suspiciously but thought better of speaking up with him so close to her. "But yes, my dear child, you are a natural at reading people from what I have seen. It will be wonderful finally having you by my side."

"Don't touch her!" Harry yelled through clenched teeth.

"Harry! I'd almost forgotten you were here," the Dark Lord said, once again using his false friendly voice as he turned away from his daughter and faced the Boy Who Lived. "Standing on the bones of my father.  
I'd introduce you but word has it you're almost as famous as me these days. The Boy Who Lived. How lies have fed your legend, Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see when dear, sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch you. It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter. Things have changed, I can touch you now!"

With that, he touched Harry's scar and the boy screamed in pure pain and Andy quickly latched on to his brain and started drawing some of the pain into herself whilst at the same time throwing up defenses in his mind, wincing at the overload of pain that shot through every part of her body. She fought the darkness for a moment but soon had no option but to succumb.

When she came to, she blinked open her eyes just in time to see Harry dive for the cup and disappear, causing her Father to howl in anger and frustration. Andy felt tears well up in her eyes again, trying to fight the bitter taste of betrayal in her mouth. But the Dark Lord composed himself and turned to see his daughter blinking confusedly at the space where Potter had disappeared and a plan to turn her to his side began to formulate as he made his way towards her, his wicked smile turning up the corners of his lips in the most sinister way possible. He made his way over to her and had the vines finally release her before he reached down and scooped her up and whispered in her ear, "Soon, my pet, we will be home and all this will be a terrible dream."

 **Back at Hogwarts**

Harry landed on his stomach and resisted the urge to throw up as the bitter taste of his betrayal filled his mouth. He sobbed, curling into a ball as the cheering crowd finally realized that something was wrong. He was screaming, "I left her, he took her and I didn't save her!"

"Oh Merlin help us…" Fudge whispered to himself as he stood, covering his mouth with his hand. Fleur's eyes went wide as she realized what Harry was saying, shrieking in horror as she dropped to her knees, the thought of her best friend dead hitting her like a thousand trains at once. Remus went ashen and had to hold Sirius as his knees gave out and he let out a strangled scream. Minerva placed her hand over her chest as she let out a pained gasp, holding on to the rail as her legs felt weak. But Albus… His face was drained of blood as he rushed to Harry, propping him up and asking him, "Harry, what do you mean?"

"It's him, sir! It's him! He was resurrected and now he is back, Andy saved my life and I couldn't get to her and now he took her," he sobbed. The old man looked on in horror, letting the boy drop back to the ground in tears. He finally snapped out of it and gestured a few of the professors over and murmured to them, "Get Harry to Andraste's room, it is the most secure in this whole castle."

"Yes sir," Remus murmured as he, Sirius, Severus, and Minerva formed a wall around the boy and herded him out the arena, leaving Albus to look around and sigh, knowing he was about to have the hardest night he had had in a long while.

When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was laying on an incredibly soft bed with layers of fluffy blankets tucked around her. She looked around in confusion and felt her panic start to build as she remembered the event of last night but before she could act, there was a knock at the door before it quietly creaked open. She whipped her head around to see who it was and it was an unfamiliar man with dark green eyes and dark black hair. She looked at him curiously as he came bearing a tray of food, giving her a small smile. "Good morning, Andraste."

"Who are you?" she shot back quickly, moving herself into a sitting position. The man placed the tray of food on the bedside table before sitting in the chair that was beside her bed and calmly saying, "Your father, of course. I brought you breakfast."

Her eyes went wide as she froze, staring at him in terror. "Where did you take me?"

"We are in our temporary home until we can find a more suitable one," he told her vaguely before gesturing to the food as he stood. "I will leave now to let you settle in and get some food in your system. Once you are feeling up to it, I will have your godmother come up with some clothes so you can get out of those filthy Muggle clothes."

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving her in shock as she blinked at the door. He didn't lock her in or anything. Then her stomach growled and she glanced at the tray of food. He had brought her a bowl of mixed fruit, different types of small pastries, and a small bowl of yogurt as well as a glass filled with pumpkin juice. She tentatively picked up a chocolate chip croissant and nibbled at it. When she detected no poison, she tore into it ravenously. She made her way through the entire tray of food and then chugged the glass of juice before she let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back against the headrest. She sat there contentedly with her eyes closed for a few moments before she got curious and opened her eyes, throwing the covers back and hopping out of the large bed. She poked her head into the first door and took note of a rather large and impressive bathroom, decorated in all black and white marble. She nodded appreciatively before closing the door and poking her head into the second one. It was an equally as large room but instead was a walk-in closet. There was nothing hanging on the racks but it was an insane amount of room for one person. She shook her head at it before looking at the rest of the room. It was very plain, decorated in all black, white, and silver, except for the emerald green blankets and matching drapes on the four-poster bed. She nodded again before making her way back to the bed, hopping up on it and bouncing on it, testing its quality. She was being pretty spoiled for a prisoner. That's when there was a knock at the door for the second time that day but this time, it was a woman who gracefully floated in. She was dressed in elegant black robes with her black and white hair done up, framing her lovely face. She also had piercing eyes but they were a shade of silvery blue that was rather familiar. She was older but not to the point where she was no longer lovely. She gave Andy a soft smile before beckoning for someone else to come in. Four women all laden with shopping bags bustled into the bedroom and Andy looked at them with wide eyes before looking back at the woman who was watching her in amusement. "Hello, Andraste. It's so lovely to finally meet my niece and goddaughter. Your father mentioned that you had no clothing so I took the liberty of guessing your size and getting you a variety of outfits for any need."

"Oh wow… Thank you," Andy said in a voice that made it sound like a question. A piece of her yelled that she needed to escape but the larger part of her loved how kind they were being to her. Against the judgment of the small voice in the back of her head, she beamed at the woman, leaning against the writing desk. "So what's your name, you look familiar?"

"My full name is Narcissa Malfoy but you may call me Aunt Cissy," she informed the younger girl as she watched the four servants hang up all the new outfits. Andy snapped her fingers as she realized why the eyes looked so familiar.

"Ah, gotcha! I go to school with your son," she said with a bright smile. Narcissa returned the smile and dipped her head before asking, "Would you like to change now or would you prefer to bathe first?"

"Might I bathe first? I feel unusually grimy," Andy said with an apologetic smile. Once again, her Aunt Cissy dipped her head and gestured to the bathroom door before taking a seat in the same chair her father had sat in. Andy made her way into the room and locked the door behind her. The same small voice spoke up again, yelling at her for being an idiot but she shook her head, confused by the negative thoughts. Why should she run? She was home with her father and godmother. She was probably still just exhausted. With a shrug, she turned the water on and stripped down as she waited for the water to heat up. When it had, she stepped in and let out a sigh as the warm water beat down on her skin, washing all the dirt away. She cleaned herself thoroughly before she shut the water off and grabbed her towel, drying herself before stepping out of the shower and wrapping up in the fluffy black towel. She poked her head outside of the bathroom and only stepped out when she made sure no one but Aunt Cissy was in the room anymore. She slipped right into the closet and her aunt followed her in, both of them inspecting the new clothes heavily before Andy finally pointed at a set of robes that were emerald green with black and silver trimming, looking to her aunt for approval. Narcissa put her hands on the girl's shoulders and squeezed lightly with a soft smile, nodding and saying, "Very lovely choice, Andraste."

"You know you can call me Andy. You are family, after all," she told the woman cheerfully as Narcissa went back out into the main bedroom to let Andy have some privacy to change. The woman couldn't help the very real smile on her face as she replied, "That sounds lovely, Andy."

When she finished getting dressed and modeled the robe with matching black slippers for Aunt Cissy, the woman linked arms with her and led her from the bedroom and down a massive set of stairs. People were bustling about, tidying up the large manor that they appeared to be in. Aunt Cissy led her right past all of them and straight through a set of large doors. Inside was a long rectangular table at which several people were seated. Her father sat at the head of the table, listening to something one of his followers were reporting but he looked up as his daughter entered. At some point during her sleep, her hair had been reverted back to its natural black and her eyes were the same shade of shining green as her father's. He gave her a smile, something that terrified everyone sitting at the table but warmed Andy as she returned it with her own megawatt smile. He raised his hand, gesturing to her, and announced, "I introduce you to our very own princess, my lovely daughter Andraste. Come, child."

Narcissa let go of her arm and made her way to sit beside her husband as Andy lifted the hem of her robe off the ground and made her way to the man's side. She watched as each person sitting at the table turned to watch her stride down the length of the table to the Dark Lord. She curtsied ever so slightly when she stopped in front of him before taking his hand and allowing him to help her sit. "How did you sleep, child?"

"Very well, thank you. Have we interrupted?" she asked as she looked around, taking inventory of who was at the meeting and who wasn't. She frowned when she noticed Severus missing but made no note of it.

"Of course not, Andraste. You are just in time," he told her, patting her hand gently and giving her a charming smile.

"I am glad to hear it, sir. But I really insist that you call me Andy, you are my family," she told him, leaning closer to him with a small smile. Something lit up in his eyes that Andy perceived as joy and he replied with, "But of course, so long as you call me Father."

She tilted her head to the side slightly and gave him a sweet smile before saying, "Of course, Father."

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	14. Covert Missions and Prison Breaks

**I say ya kill your heroes and fly, fly, baby don't cry.  
No need to worry 'cause everybody will die.  
Every day we just go, go, baby don't go.  
Don't you worry, we love you more than you know.**

 **-AWOLNATION; Kill Your Heroes**

 **Covert Missions and Prison Breaks**

"What do you mean there is no sign of her? Where the hell could she have gone?" Sirius demanded as he slammed his hand down on the desk. Kingsley and Tonks both looked at him in shock, especially as Tonks was his own baby cousin, but Albus merely patted his back and said, "Sit down, son. You will be of no help to her all fired up. We need to be calm about this."

"For all we know, the girl could be being tortured at this very moment so let the boy have his panic. The likelihood of us finding Ms. Dumbledore in one piece after it has already been two months is very low," Alastor said gruffly from where he stood near Albus' Pensieve. Sirius caught him with a vicious glare and growled before Albus cut him off again.

"I don't believe so, Alastor. If anything, I believe she is being treated like royalty," he told them as he sat in his chair behind his desk, feeling older than he had in a very long time. Everyone in his office looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean, Albus?" Minerva asked him, looking worried at the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Everyone settle in. It is time you all know how I came to know of Andy's existence," he said gravely. Alastor stayed where he stood but looked a whole lot more curious in what the headmaster had to say. Severus already knew this story so he continued perusing the titles in the headmaster's personal library. Sirius, Remus, Minerva, and Kingsley all sat in the chairs in front of his desk while Tonks perched on the arm of Sirius' chair. Amiya, Andy's familiar and best friend that Albus had given her at eight years old to watch over her, was curled up in the same place Andy typically sat. Sitting on the stairs that were behind him were the Weasley twins, Cedric, Fleur, Viktor, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Typically, Albus wouldn't allow so many underage children hear so much about the first war but with the second one impending and the girl they all cared for a hostage, he made an exception. So he began. "It was the year 1980 when one of our informants reported to me that they had overheard Bellatrix Lestrange updating the Dark Lord on how their 'little secret' was doing. I told the Order, the group of rebels I led in the fight against the Dark Lord, that Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband were hiding a weapon in their manor but I knew better as our informant had overheard much more of their conversation than I let anyone else know. What they were hiding was a child. A child named Andraste Philomela Lestrange-Riddle."

"Wait… what?" Cedric, Tonks, Kingsley, Fleur, Alastor, and Viktor all chorused together, all looking equally as shocked, albeit Alastor looked a touch more pissed off. Before they could begin clamoring, Albus continued.

"I ordered the informant to keep the child's identity a secret and began formulating a plan. I asked him to poke around for any more information on the child. He reported back with only one solid piece of information: The Dark Lord needed this child, she was important to him and his cause. I had no idea how a child could be important to the greatest dark wizard of our age but I wasn't going to take any risks. I knew months in advance that the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr were going to attack the Longbottoms. I did try to warn them but they chose to stand and fight. I took advantage of the Lestranges leaving their manor and sent Remus and Kingsley to infiltrate it and take anything that looked out of the ordinary. They returned with a five-year-old child who was crying for her mother. That was the first day I laid eyes on Andy," he told them. Kingsley sat back in shock. He had known that the girl was important but he never would've guessed that she was the unholy product of Bellatrix and the Dark Lord's coupling. Alastor cursed under his breath, pissed to not have been told this information sooner. The children merely looked stunned. He continued on. "For the first three years, no one but myself, Severus, and Minerva knew I was hiding her. For the first three years, I watched over her but she preferred Severus to myself, having been raised to see me as the enemy. For the first three years, I took her every month to visit her mother and the man she thought was her father in their cells in Azkaban. But on the day of her eighth birthday, she was visiting her father and she tried to convince him to renounce his old ways so he might be freed and she could be with her parents again and he called her a whore and a bastard child and told her that he should have killed her when he had the chance, that she was no daughter of his especially if she was a Muggle lover."

"Vy vould he zay zose zings to her?" Fleur asked in horror, feeling her heart break for the girl she called her best friend. Albus sighed and shook his head.

"In her delirium, Bellatrix admitted to Rodolphous that Andy was actually the child of the Dark Lord and it drove him mad," he explained sadly before he shook his head. "Yet, his cruelty is what turned her over to our side fully and from that day, she became my granddaughter. She possessed extraordinary amounts of magic and by the age of ten, she was able to use wandless magic without struggling. By twelve, she was able to use nonverbal magic and was subconsciously using Legilimency. She possesses a ridiculous amount of power and I believe that the Dark Lord planned on that. Bellatrix is the oldest female child of the Black family line and she is also ridiculously loyal to him which makes her the ideal mother for his offspring. So Andy is imbued with not only the ancient power of the Black family line but also with the power of the even more ancient house of Slytherin. This makes her a valuable asset to him."

"Then why the hell aren't we doubling our efforts to get to her?" Sirius demanded, too hotheaded to come to the conclusion that Minerva, Severus, Alastor, Remus, and Albus had already reached.

"Because the situation is more delicate than you apparently realize, Mr. Black," Severus said coldly.

"The last memory the girl has is her being betrayed right after she sacrificed all her mental defenses to save your life and give you an opportunity to run, Potter. Therefore…" Harry's eyes went wide as he realized what Alastor was saying.

"So because I left her, Voldemort was able to control her?" he said shakily. Severus nodded and sighed, looking at Albus.

"Narcissa is grooming her to be a perfect lady but so far, she's done nothing but sit by his side and play the perfect little princess. He dotes on her though so that does make her one of his weaknesses," he reported. Albus nodded, having expected as much.

"You can go ahead and return to his side, Severus. Report to him that we caught wind of her somewhere in south Britain, where Nott and Crabbe tried to lead us to last night. That should buy us time. Stay as long as he needs you, make sure she is safe. Don't provoke her yet though, we don't have enough information just yet," he instructed. The dark haired man dipped his head before striding out of the room.

"So what, we just sit here and let her get brain-washed?" Fred asked hotly whilst trying his best to keep his temper under control. Albus shook his head with a small smile.

"No, Mr. Weasley. We will begin to draw Lord Voldemort's forces out into the open. Minister, can you assure us that your officials will look the other way as we do this?" Albus asked Kingsley. After the overwhelming proof that the Dark Lord was back and word was leaked that the minister had heard the whispers for more than a year prior, the public demanded he resign and instead placed Kingsley Shacklebolt in his place, much to Albus' approval. Kingsley nodded and said, "They will be too busy going through rigorous checks to make sure we are not infiltrated. Do what you must to get her home."

"Very good." Albus then turned his attention to Remus and Sirius. "I want you two to take Ms. Granger and the Weasley twins. The five of you need to formulate the best plans you can, the biggest plans you can. Anything that will draw the Dark Lord's attention. The twins will be of help to you due to their trickster nature and Ms. Granger is the top witch in her class so she will be able to close any loopholes the rest of you overlook. We need something to put into action by the end of the week."

"Roger that," Sirius said, a determined grin on his face as he jerked his head towards the door and led their team to Andy's chambers which would serve as temporary headquarters for their new distraction team.

"Alastor and Tonks, I need you two to run recruitment. Talk to everyone left from the old Order and then try to recruit anyone you two think would be worthy," he told them. Tonks nodded with a bright smile and popped up, bouncing as she made her way to the Floo, returning to the Ministry. Alastor rolled his eyes at the young girl's enthusiasm but followed after her. "Ms. Delacour, Mr. Krum, Mr. Diggory… You are all three of age and are close to this war personally so I will ask you now. If your answer is no, then you will go home to your families and we will place as many wards upon you and your family that we can to keep you safe and you will return to your life. But if your answer is yes, you will be sworn in and you will be a part of our family, our army. So I will ask you now: do you three wish to join the Order of the Phoenix?"

"I will fight for Andy," Fleur said without hesitation, stepping forward bravely, a determined look in her eyes. Cedric nodded to himself before stepping forward as well, Viktor right behind him. The three of them stood in front of Albus and waited. He stood and went around to stand directly in front of Fleur who was in the middle.

"Do you, Fleur Delacour, hereby swear to uphold the greater good of the human race, to fight against the powers of evil, and to defend your comrades in the Order of the Phoenix to the death, upon pain of death should you break these oaths?" he asked her seriously.

"I do so solemnly swear," she said firmly, looking him in the eyes. He nodded before touching his wand to the left side of her chest, directly over her heart. She gasped as she felt the magic and she pulled her shirt to the side and saw that there was an intricately beautiful phoenix tattooed over her heart in red ink. She looked up at the old man in confusion and watched as he tugged his robe to the side as well to reveal a matching tattoo over his own heart. As he replaced his robes, he explained, "I took the idea of the Dark Mark and adjusted it. This way, should one of us ever need back up or to contact the rest of the Order, all they will have to do is press their wand or, if they can manage wandless magic, their finger to the tattoo and think of the Order. Everyone will get a glimpse of the person who summoned them and where they are located and be able to Apparate straight to them."

With that, he continued on to the other two. Minerva and Kingsley had already received their tattoos earlier before he called the meeting, as well as Severus. The twins, Sirius, Remus, Alastor, Tonks, and whoever else they rounded up would have to receive their tattoo later that night when he had the official first Order meeting. When he finished, Kingsley announced, "I will make my way back to the Ministry and begin the search for infiltrators and maybe find out some information on Andy's whereabouts."

"Of course, thank you Minister," Albus said kindly, shaking the man's hand before he stepped into the Floo. Then he turned to Minerva and said, "Take Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter to the Order's headquarters. I will send his aunt and uncle a letter detailing that he will be leaving their residence effective immediately. He isn't safe there, where we can't keep an eye on him. Tell Molly to set the boys to work and we will send Sirius' group over later for some extra hands to get the place prepped for the meeting."

"Yes, Albus," the woman said before beckoning to the two younger boys and leading them out the door. Harry looked over his shoulder, desperation shining in his eyes as he asked, "Will she be okay?"

"Physically, she will be fine but her mental state is our true concern. Only time will be able to show, my dear boy," he responded honestly. Harry's face looked crestfallen but he allowed his professor to herd him out of the office with his best friend. Finally, Albus turned to his three new recruits, all of which were staring at him curiously. He smiled at them and said, "I have very important jobs for the three of you."

Andy glided down the Victorian stairs, lifting the hem of her skirt up as she peeked over the edge to see the very person she wanted to see entering the manor with Lucius and Severus. Her face lit up and she exclaimed, "Father! Severus! I am glad to see you both home safe."

"And what about me, Andy?" Lucius said, mockingly offended. Andy's smile dropped off her face as she glared at him.

"Go die in a hole, Malfoy. And it's Andraste to you," she snapped back. Her father gave her a small smirk to which she replied with a sheepish smile as she reached the bottom step. He walked up to her and took her hand, drawing her close to him. She pressed a kiss to his left cheek as his cold lips returned the gesture before he moved her hand to the crook of his arm and led her towards the meeting room.

"And what have you been up to today, my princess?" he asked her. Severus ignored the severe discomfort he got seeing the Dark Lord acting like the perfect father and kept a neutral expression. Malfoy wasn't so intelligent and crinkled his nose at the doting tone in his master's voice.

"Oh nothing of importance, just reading some of the texts in the library. There are so many wonderful, old books in there, Father," she told him excitedly as he led her around the table to their usual seats. "But of course, I hate to report that you may want to tell Mr. Malfoy that if he is made uncomfortable by seeing how a father is supposed to treat his child then maybe he should try to be a better father to his own son."

"Yes, I quite agree. Lucius, why don't you go fetch young Draco to join us?" the Dark Lord purred. Andy shot Malfoy a smirk as his face went pale. "I believe my daughter is quite right to be concerned about your son's lack of attention. It leaves room for… unhealthy influences."

"Yes Master," the man murmured as he bowed and exited the meeting room. Father sat at the head of the table after he helped Andy into her chair to his left and Severus took the seat to his right. She smiled at her mentor and asked, "How is Hogwarts faring, Severus? I trust you are well."

"Yes, I am doing quite well. You look rather happy yourself, I'm glad to see you this well, unlike you were back at Hogwarts. As for what I have to report, Dumbledore bought the trail Nott and Crabbe laid for him so he's sending a few members of the Order to go check it out. Other than that, they are doing nothing but bickering and fighting over where Andy could be." He directed the last sentence towards the Dark Lord who nodded along, drumming his fingers on the table slowly as he thought, perched lazily in the chair like a spoiled prince.

"This gives us ample opportunity to move in on Azkaban. We can finally free your mother and kill the traitorous man who tried to call himself your father," he told his child and she lit up.

"Do you really mean that, Father? It's been so long since I've seen Mother…" she said, her eyes becoming misty as she thought of her mother. Her father nodded, giving her a soft smile. Severus held back the shiver as all he saw was pure menace but Andy looked at the man with nothing but adoration. That's when the pieces fell into place and a light went off over his head. Right then, the entire Malfoy family entered. Narcissa looked slightly wary but overall composed. Draco had his eyes on the ground as he followed behind his obviously terrified father.

"Come here, young Draco. I believe you already know my daughter, Andy," the man said in his typical charismatic voice as the young boy approached him cautiously, his parents taking their seats at the middle of the table.,

"Yes sir, I know her. Hello Andy," he said politely, making eye contact with the girl. She gave him a wide, innocent smile and said, "Hello Draco, you look well."

"Thank you, as do you," he returned before hesitantly looking at the Dark Lord. The man gave him a sickly sugary smile and said, "Andy here will be your new tutor and mentor, as you have been sorely lacking in attention and instruction. Narcissa has done a fine job in making you the perfect pureblood wizard but now it is you godsister's turn to teach you the more advanced magic that you will need to know."

"Thank you, sir. That is very kind of you and I appreciate this," Draco said with wide eyes, genuinely surprised at how nice he sounded. That's when Andy patted the empty chair next to her and smiled at him. He smiled cautiously before slipping into the seat. She leaned over to him and said, "Don't worry, Father is really nice once you get to know him. From now on, you will be staying here with me and when we have meetings, you will sit beside me."

"Okay… Why didn't you tell me at school who you were? I mean, Father told me that he had a suspicion but when I brought it up, before the Ball, why didn't you say anything?" he whispered back as the adults resumed their conversation about reports of the rest of the world; potential threats and potential new recruits.

"I was scared of people knowing but now I am proud to bear my Father's name," she replied with a shrug. Draco nodded and the both of them straightened up as they heard her name mentioned.

"Pardon?" she said innocently. Her father smiled at her and patted her hand gently.

"I was just telling everyone how you are going to be in charge of training new recruits due to your wonderful magical capabilities. Draco will be your first pupil until we find more recruits," he told her. She blushed and looked at her father with wide eyes, saying, "Are you sure I'm ready for this, Father?"

"My dear princess, I believe you are more capable than you realize. You will be a spectacular teacher," he assured her. She beamed at him before standing and gesturing towards the exit. The blonde boy dipped his head in respect to the Dark Lord before following his new mentor out of the room without another word. Once they were up the stairs and far out of earshot, Draco hesitantly asked, "Andy, what happened? How did you get here?"

"Well it was during the tournament. We were in a graveyard and my father touched Harry and Harry was screaming in pain so I linked my brain with his and defended his mind against further attack but that led to me passing out from overexertion. Then when I woke, I saw Harry leaving me behind. He betrayed me and left me for dead," she said quietly, pausing as she entered the library, a frown etched into her face. Then she shook it off and led the younger boy fully into the large library, gesturing for him to stand in front of her. "But it is no matter. Father took me here and he and Aunt Cissy nursed me back to health and showered me in love and I now realize how stupid it was to be scared of my own family for all those years. But now, let's start on your education."

"Alright, you lot have the floor," Albus said as he sat down after making sure everyone was present. Hermione, Fred, George, Sirius, and Remus all stood and made their way to the opposite end of the table so everyone would be able to see them as they presented the battle plan for the first battle.

"Alright so we all know that the Dark Lord has taken up residence in Lestrange Manor and plans on doing a massive prison break at Azkaban tomorrow night. We need him to succeed, we need him to think that he is one step ahead of us," Hermione said professionally, admirably hiding her nervous tremble as she kept her chin up. Immediately, a riotous noise began around the table until Sirius yelled, "Shut it and listen to the bloody plan!"

At once, everyone fell silent and looked at the slightly off-kilter man. Hermione cleared her throat and shot the man a grateful smile before continuing. "While his forces are breaking into Azkaban, they won't be able to defend all their safe houses. One such safe house that we know will be totally unprotected is Malfoy Manor. The only person who will reportedly be home is Narcissa Malfoy who, as Professor Snape has told us, could be excellent leverage. If we could get her on our side, make her see that Andy is in danger with the Dark Lord, she might be willing to lure her away from him."

"So what's the plan?" Alastor asked, vaguely impressed by the girl's level of thought put into the plan. She gestured for the twins to take the floor. They stepped forward as she stepped back beside Remus, both of them grinning as they unrolled what looked like floor plans.

"These are the blueprints for Malfoy Manor that Sirius' mother so kindly had tucked away in her library. We found that the Malfoys have a basement in the bottom of their house which is where their house elves reside. But the basement was originally built as a quick escape should the Manor be attacked or sealed off," George explained as he levitated the papers so everyone could see them.

"There is a system of tunnels as you can see where we've outlined in red that leads to a small trapdoor in the forest floor a good two miles from the Manor, completely undetectable to anyone who doesn't know precisely where it exists," Fred explained, pointing to the outlined path.

"If we follow this path and use Dobby to convince the house elves to follow us, to come to Hogwarts where they will be granted freedom and given wages and better working conditions, then a small group of us will be able to slip in to the Manor without raising any alarms," the other twin continued.

"Despite this, we need at least two advanced spell casters to go on the mission so we're sure that it isn't a trap," Fred said for extra measure.

"This will cause a significant level of panic to the Dark Lord, knowing that he messed up and left one of his own unprotected. It will also leave Andy devastated which means he will have to bend over backwards trying to get Narcissa back, to keep up his caring and loving father routine," Sirius further explained as some of the members didn't look wholly convinced.

"If we take Narcissa, then stage Severus' kidnapping, and then finally take Draco, that will be everyone on their side that she has grown to care for which would leave her emotionally vulnerable and willing to do whatever it would take to get them back. At which point, we get her a message and an item that we turn into a Portkey. She has to come to us willingly or else this won't work," Remus said, the members all beginning to look on board with the plan. Then the twins grinned and chorused, "So who's up for a road trip?"

The next night, the team Apparated to the woods a couple miles south of Malfoy Manor. The twins led the way, looking at their map for directions, with Tonks, Sirius, Remus, and Bill Weasley following behind them. The twins secretly signed up for the mission without their mother knowing, which she had no doubt noticed by now, and Remus and Bill were expert curse breakers. Sirius and Tonks were just the Order's best fighters so they came as a precaution. "Ah ha! Found it!"

"Alohomora!" Fred whispered and they all heard the lock click. The twins high-fived quietly before George threw open the door and grandly gestured for Remus and Bill to make their way down the stairs. Remus rolled his eyes at the boys and Bill grinned before the two of them lit their wands and carefully made their way down, feeling for any curses or traps that may have been set. The twins went next and then Sirius and Tonks took up the rear. The trek through the musty, old tunnels took them a good fifteen minutes, having to go slow to avoid rushing into any surprises. They only encountered weak wards when they crossed the property line and a few old curses that were child's play to break. When they reached the entrance into the house elf quarters, Remus quietly called out, "Dobby!"

With a loud crack, the small house elf appeared. He had donned an old army helmet and a mismatched pair of forest green socks and a camo toga, black lines painted under his eyes. He loudly announced in his high-pitched voice, "Dobby, reporting for duty, sirs!"

"Very good, Dobby. Now go in there and work your magic," Remus told the elf before opening the entrance. Dobby shot them a salute before slipping into the basement of the manor. The group listened as there was quiet clamoring and Dobby's squeaky voice over all of them, explaining everything to them. Five minutes later, Dobby poked his head back out and nodded, saluting once more before saying, "All the house elves have been briefed and are ready for their freedom, sir!"

"Well done, Dobby!" the twins chorused as the group of six filed into the basement. Eleven house elves looked back at them, blinking their large eyes innocently at the group. Dobby fell in behind the group and motioned for his people to follow him, motioning for them to be silent. The group of twelve house elves followed behind the group as they crept up the stone stairs. At the top of the stairs, Remus quietly pushed the door open and peeked out. The door led to the kitchen and there was no one in sight so he motioned for them to follow him up. The group of eighteen filled the kitchen and Tonks turned to whisper to the elves.

"You lot stay here. When all is clear, we will call Dobby and that will be your sign to come into the sitting room where we will have Mrs. Malfoy waiting to release you all from your service, at which point you will follow Dobby back to the castle where he will get you settled in. Sound good?" Eleven heads nodded vigourously, their large bat ears flopping everywhere as they did so. Tonks nodded back and then turned back to her group, gesturing for them to continue on. Remus and Bill took a deep breath before they stealthily creeped out of the kitchen and into the dining room. The group spread out and cleared the room before they all nodded at each other and moved to the next room, the sitting room. Once again, no one in sight but there was a fire crackling so they knew that Narcissa was no doubt still awake. They all noticed this and shared a look that showed that they all understood what the lit fire meant. Bill jerked his head toward the doors that led to the entrance way, one of the doors cracked open. Tonks nodded and she and Sirius moved in, slipping out through the door easily. The twins followed behind them with Bill and Remus taking up the rear, protecting the twins' backs. They heard someone walking around upstairs, coming toward the staircase, so Sirius gestured for everyone to get their backs against the wall that the staircase was against. They did so quickly and silently, wands all drawn and ready. They listened as heels clicked against the marble stairs, making their way down to the bottom floor. When she came into view, Sirius and Tonks both whispered, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Both of their hexes hit her at the same time and she collapsed but Sirius saved his cousin some dignity and levitated her in midair to stop her from getting hurt. The team grinned at each other and they made their way back into the sitting room. As Remus and Bill worked on sealing the sitting room in the case that someone comes to check on the woman, Fred summoned Dobby and the rest of the house elves. Sirius took the hexes off his cousin but hit her with Imperio the second he released her. With that, Tonks conjured eleven house elf-sized shirts with the Hogwarts crest on it and Sirius made Narcissa hand a shirt to each elf. Once all eleven elves were freed, Dobby saluted the wizard and popped away, leading the others with him. Sirius released his cousin from Imperio but put her to sleep instantly and once again levitated her. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here."

"Just in time, someone just crossed the property line," Bill alerted them as they ran back to the kitchen and down the basement stairs. Remus shot a few spells over his shoulder, sealing the basement door and giving them extra time. He did the same to the secret entrance to the tunnels before running behind his group. Now that they knew there were no traps, they ran full speed with Tonks at the head. She led them out in under six minutes and when they popped out at the opposite end, Remus caused the tunnel to cave in so no one would be able to follow them out. All at once, they Apparated to the park across from Grimauld Place. When they rushed in and the door slammed behind them, they all let out the breath they were holding back and shared the same grin.

"Frederick Fabian Weasley! George Gideon Weasley!"

"Oh bloody hell," the boys murmured.

Andy sat with Draco by her side in the library, her reading more into the lineage of her family as Draco studied useful curses. They heard the door downstairs slam close and they both looked up. Draco looked at the girl he had spent every waking moment by for the past week and she grinned, hopping up and running out of the library, her blood red robes flowing out behind her. She ran down the marble staircase with Draco hot on her heels. The two of them paused on the landing a good ten feet above the ground, giving them a perfect view of the group coming in through the door. Andy took note of the faces she knew and those she didn't. But she found her father's face and gave him her usual megawatt smile. He dipped his head and whispered something to the hooded figure beside him, gesturing to the stairs. The figure nodded its head before Father motioned for her and Draco to come down the stairs. "Let us retire to the meeting room. Princess, will you and Draco go have the elves serve dinner now?"

"Yes, Father. Of course," she replied in her usual sweet, adoring voice. She dipped her head in respect and Draco did the same before the two of them made their way to the kitchen. The Manor only had eight elves to look after it but they did a fantastic job in keeping it in shape. The eight elves snapped to attention as their young Mistress entered the kitchen with her student. She waited until she was sure she had their attention before announcing, "Our Master has returned home along with plenty of guests, all of whom have not had a proper meal in many years so please have enough food out for the entire table, every seat will be filled tonight and there must be enough for everyone. The Dark Lord expects it to be out in less than five minutes so do not disappoint."

"Yes Mistress," they all chorused. She nodded at them before making her way through the kitchen to the door that led to the meeting room. The door opened up to the back of room, to the left of where her father sat. She sat in her usual seat but Draco's seat was taken by a hooded figure. Lucius motioned for him to take the seat beside him so Draco dipped his head to his mentor before making his way over to him. Andy floated forwards and curtsied to her father as he stood and helped her into her seat. She looked at him with a sweet smile and reported, "The house elves will have dinner out in less than five minutes.

Right as she finished speaking, the food appeared on the table. Father laughed in amusement and said, "It seems they are eager to please tonight, well done princess, Draco."

"Thank you, Father," Andy said as Draco softly said, "Thank you, my lord."

"Now I do believe introductions are in order," he said. He gestured to the hooded figure beside Severus and said, "Andy, meet Rodolphous Lestrange, your step-father."

The girl bit back a hiss but her eyes went wide as the hood fell back as she looked at the hideous man. He glared back at her but didn't make a single noise. The Dark Lord pleasantly noted the look of hatred on his child's face. He continued down the table. "Rabastan Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Marcus Mulciber, William Travers, Augustus Rookwood, Carissa Stonehaven, George Mason, Phillipe Delamotte, and of course…"

"Hello, my darling Andraste," the woman beneath the hood purred as she pushed the hood back. Andy gasped as she came face to face with her mother for the first time in nearly eleven years. Tears welled up in her eyes and she threw her arms around the woman, doing her best to not outright sob in front of everyone at the table.

"Welcome home, Mother," she whispered into the familiar wild black curls, same as her own. She pulled back and studied the woman. She was gaunt and starved but her silvery eyes were alight as she stared at Andy, who was beaming brightly at her. She looked at her father and gave him a grateful smile as she squeezed his hand. He dipped his head at her before saying, "Please, friends. Feast, for you have all served your time admirably and it is time you get back on your feet."

Andy immediately began filling her mother's plate full of everything near her and her mother squeezed her free hand before she ravenously dug in to the meal. When Andy was satisfied that she had enough to start with, she made a plate for herself and made her way through it, her eyes on her mother the entire time. She was just as beautiful as Andy remembered her being and now she was home. All that was left was to get rid of her hideous, useless husband. "Andy?"

"Yes, Father?" she replied immediately, looking over at him to give him her full attention.

"How was your day today?" he asked her conversationally. The followers who had been free and who had dined with the pair previously were used to it but the ten new additions balked and looked at the Dark Lord in shock, unused to hear him use such a caring and kind tone. Even Bellatrix raised an eyebrow before she continued eating in silence.

"Oh it's been quite busy. Draco spent a few hours this morning practicing his dueling and he even managed to best me by the end of it, using a very well timed Cruciatus curse. He is progressing quickly and I couldn't be more proud of him. Aunt Cissy was supposed to take me to get fitted for some new robes but she never showed up so Draco and I went to the library where I taught him more about his lineage and then I spent the remainder of the time teaching him new curses that will be useful," she reported back as she pushed her mashed potatoes around before taking a bite. Her father nodded as he listened to her.

"That sounds excellent. Well done, Draco," he told the young boy. The boy gave him a tentative smile and dipped his head in thanks. Then a frown settled on the Dark Lord's lips as he said, "That is troubling to hear about Narcissa, though. Lucius will you please go check your home to see if something has happened to her?"

"Of course, my lord," the man said before he stood, bowed, and made his way out of the room.

"So, Draco, how did it feel to best your mentor after only a week of study?" the Dark Lord asked the boy. His plan was working already, he had two undying followers in Bellatrix and Andy and the boy was already beginning to see him as a father figure due to his kind treatment and managed to live up to every expectation he threw the child's way. Draco swallowed his food first before he spoke animatedly.

"I was shocked when the curse landed and she actually hit the ground. Of course, I immediately cut the flow of magic, which I know to never do in a real duel, but I was so shocked that I lost my focus. I never expected to beat Andy, she is the best fighter I know," he told them, his confidence growing as he spoke more and more in the presence of the Dark Lord, shooting Andy a smile that Andy returned.

"Don't be so modest, Draco. You are brilliant and the best student I could ask for," she complimented back. The boy's cheeks turned a soft pink and he dipped his head in thanks as Bellatrix cackled in amusement.

"Why, my lord, do I sense young love blossoming?" she said with a playful grin. This time, both Andy and Draco turned red and they ducked their heads. Before anyone could further the conversation, Lucius burst through the doors frantically and said, "The manor was attacked and Narcissa was taken."

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	15. Deadbeat Dads and Dolled-Up Death Eaters

**When the morning settles in  
And I've learned how to live with it  
I can't rewind all the things I did  
And all these ghosts, the lonely ghosts**

 **-American Authors; Ghost**

 **Deadbeat Dads and Dolled-up Death Eaters**

It was two weeks after her kidnapping when Narcissa Malfoy finally broke down. Sixteen days of just hearing over and over about how ruined Andy, her sweet goddaughter, was going to be when she realized how she was being tricked and deceived, about how she was going to shun Narcissa for the rest of her life, about how far down a dark road she was going to be to a point where no one would be able to rescue her. She finally broke down and let two tears streak down her face. Her tormenter, her own cousin Sirius, finally stopped and left the room silently. She cried and thought of how she could bargain for her son's safety in return for helping the people who took her. She heard the door creak open and she raised her head to look at the door from where she sat in the comfortable yet old armchair in the well-furnished room she was given on her first night. She was shocked to see her older sister, Andromeda, standing in front of her. She was wearing a soft, baby blue cotton dress with a worn black cloak around her shoulders, clasped at her throat. Her hair was a light brown, even lighter than it had been when they were children due to the grey in her hair, but her blue eyes still twinkled softly. Narcissa looked at her in shock as Andromeda sat on the bed, facing her with a sad smile.

"Hello, little sister," she said and Narcissa lost it, she let out a choked sob and covered her face with her trembling hands. She heard the bed creak and then she felt Dromeda sit on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arms around her younger sister. Narcissa clung to her as she cried, letting the familiar scent of warm vanilla wash over her, bringing back the memories of all the times Dromeda used to hold her like this when they were children. "It's all going to be okay, Cissy. You will see. We will save Draco and Andy and we may even finally be able to get through to Bella and we will all be safe, you will see."

"I'm so scared, Dromeda," Narcissa sobbed into the soft, worn fabric of her sister's dress, her arms tight around her waist. She felt Dromeda's cheek rest on top of her hair as she soothingly rubbed her back.

"I know you are Cissy but we are strong and we are family, we will stick together until the very end and I promise you, our family will make it out of this."

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the kitchen door where the Order had gathered to discuss the second part of their plan and the door was pushed open to reveal Andromeda Tonks hand in hand with a shaken yet composed Narcissa Malfoy. Dumbledore offered her a kind smile as she took a seat between Dromeda and her cousin Sirius. He patted her hand gently and leaned over, whispering, "I am so sorry about that Cissy, we just really need to get Andy out of there as soon as possible before she goes too far."

"It's okay, Sirius, I understand," she murmured back before she cleared her throat and got everyone's attention. She made eye contact with everyone as she said, "I will help you get Andy back, as I do truly care for my goddaughter but I have one condition."

"And what would that be, Mrs. Malfoy?" Professor Dumbledore asked kindly. She flinched at the mention of her married name.

"Actually make that two," she said, swallowing the bitter taste the sound that last name left in her mouth. "One, I want a promise that my son Draco will not be harmed. Two, I wish you, Minister, to help push my divorce through discreetly and have my surname reverted back to Black."

"I can have it done tonight and have it to where Mr. Malfoy will not be made aware unless he purposely goes looking for the divorce documents," the minister told her in his deep voice. She dipped her head in thanks before looking at Professor Dumbledore. He assessed her with his deep blue eyes before he nodded.

"I agree to your terms and hereby so solemnly swear that I will protect the life of Draco Malfoy at all costs upon pain of death," he swore, binding the two of them together with magic and she immediately relaxed before going into business mode. She stood up and strode to the empty head of the table to address everyone at once.

"Being the perfect pureblood wife means that no one pays attention to me. I am simply a decoration, there to look at and make idle chitchat with. What that means is that I know the ins and outs of everything," she said, leaning forward with her palms splayed out on the table. "I may not be fond of being kidnapped but I am a lot less fond of being a prisoner and a slave. So here is what I know."

For the next three hours, she divulged every piece of information she had on the Dark Lord and Andy, even down to their daily routines and what they discussed. Hermione, being the unofficial Order scribe after Sirius, Remus, Alastor, and Albus finally convinced Molly to let her be a part of the Order, jotted down everything she said on a roll of parchment. Everyone looked around at each other when Narcissa finished, finally feeling like they were closer to finding and retrieving Andy. She looked around at all of them and then asked, "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean you can't bloody find her?" the eighteen-year-old hissed at the bloodied man in front of her, glaring at her from his knees. "When I said to not return without my godmother, did you take me as a jokester? Did I not appear serious enough for you?"

"No, m'lady," he gritted between clenched teeth. "I'm jus' sayin' that ya got me on a bloody wil' goose chase."

She grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back as she swooped down, her face inches from his as she growled out, "Then you go on a bloody wild goose chase."

With that, she shoved him away from her and gestured for Rookwood and Stonehaven to lead the pathetic excuse for a hunter away. She turned from the door and paced in front of the fire place in front of the library she had claimed as her own until she heard a knock at the door. She turned to see her father entering and she let out a sigh as he said, "I saw that man leaving. Did you do that to him?"

"Yes, I am sorry about the mess, Father," she murmured distractedly, waving her hand to clear the blood off the wood floor. "He was ordered to not come back without news of Aunt Cissy, if not Aunt Cissy herself. The pathetic excuse for a wizard took me for a fool but no matter."

"At least you didn't kill him. That already makes your temper far more manageable than my own," he joked with her as he perched on the arm of her favourite reading chair. She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, looking over at her father.

"I want her to come home… It's been two weeks, Father. What if I never get to see her again?" she said, her voice growing quieter with each word until she fell silent, a tense silence hanging in the air. The Dark Lord wanted to roll his eyes but he also knew that he needed to keep her happy. Depression would do nothing but distract her and lessen her magical abilities, something he couldn't risk when he was almost ready to send her out into the field.

"I will put more men into searching for her, my princess. Don't you worry," he assured her sweetly as he stood and wrapped her in his arms. She buried her face in his chest and sighed.

"I know you will, Father. Thank you," she said as she looked up at him with a sad smile. He smoothed her wild curls down a bit before kissing the top of her forehead and then detaching himself from her and striding out of the library. He needed to find Narcissa Malfoy and he needed to find her fast.

It was two days after Narcissa Black fully joined the Order of the Phoenix, taking the oath and the tattoo a good week and a half after the last Order meeting, when their logistics team came up with their second plan. Another meeting was called that Saturday night and the Order gathered in the kitchen of Grimauld Place to hear the new plan. Once again, the team of five stood at the head of the table as they waited for everyone to settle down. When it was quiet, Sirius began.

"So part one was a major success but as we move on to part two, we have to throw them off our trail. We need to make it look like the Order is moving farther south, due to there being far too many Death Eaters poking around," he pointed out before looking at Remus for him to take over.

"Severus has already tipped off the Dark Lord that a group of the Order would be traveling south looking for a hidden weapon only Dumbledore knows of so he will be sending a small group of his Death Eaters to face us. We need three people as the decoys to be waiting in the house while five more wait outside so no matter how many Death Eaters are sent, we will have enough wandpower to fight them off," the sandy haired man told the gathered members.

"We have developed these new gas bombs that make whoever breathes in the fumes utterly delirious unless they have been administered the antidote, which comes in three different great-tasting flavours," the twins chorused with large grins. Hermione shook her head with a smile before she looked around the table and said, "This gives us a chance to move his forces farther south and also, if we can get the Dark Lord to send Severus on one of the missions, it provides an excellent cover story as to how we got ahold of him."

"So where did you have planned?" Kingsley asked. "I'll have to tell our people to keep clear of it."

"It'll be right along the coast, we'll show you a map of the area later on, Minister," Remus assured him. Kingsley nodded, satisfied with that answer.

"And before you even get the notion in your head, you two boys will not be going on this mission," Molly snapped at the twins, still livid after they left her in the dark about them signing up for the first mission. The twins looked slightly put out but knew better than to argue. In the end, the team consisted of Tonks, Remus, and Cedric as the bait and then Sirius, Alastor, Fleur, Bill, and Charlie as the attack team. They set the date for October the 5th.

"So they are hunting for a new weapon?" the Dark Lord asked for confirmation and Severus nodded.

"That's what I gathered. Dumbledore didn't go into detail but he is sending Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Cedric Diggory as the advance team. The back up will arrive on the 6th so if we want to affect them, we need to hit them now," Severus said as he sipped the Firewhiskey from his tumbler. He was in the sitting room with the Dark Lord, Lucius, Andy, Bellatrix, and Draco. They were all sipping alcohol except for Draco who was sipping warm spiced cider. The Dark Lord nodded slowly.

"Then I will leave the attack in your very capable hands, Severus," he said as he threw back his drink before standing. "Andy, allow me to escort you to your room."

"Yes, Father," she said in her soft voice as she sipped the last of her alcohol before standing and taking his arm. Bellatrix stood as well and said, "Allow me to join you, my lord."

"Of course, Bella," he purred, allowing her to take his other arm and with that, he escorted the two women out of the sitting room.

"So, Andy, what were your plans now that you have finished school?" her mother asked her.

"Well, originally I planned on returning to Hogwarts to teach a class on wizarding tradition and culture to try to further knowledge of our world, as most wizards and witches lack any idea of culture and refinement and I hoped to better us by teaching them how they should really act and conduct themselves," she explained as they ascended the stairs. Her parents both nodded approvingly.

"That sounds like a course that Hogwarts desperately needs," Mother told her as they reached her door. Then she looked at her master and said, "Would you like to tell her?"

"Yes, I would," he said as he turned to his daughter. "We have a present for you, to congratulate you for all your hard work lately."

"What do you mean, Father?" she asked curiously. Her parents shared a look before her mother pushed the door open. Andy peeked in and kneeling on her floor, bound and gagged, was Rodolphous Lestrange. She looked at her mother and father, her brows furrowed.

"Why is he in here?" she asked them. Her father smiled at her and then said, "This man is the reason you were shunned from your family and true life for so long. He hurt you, my princess. I saw the memory and how his words hurt you to your very core. You deserve retribution."

"You want me to…" Andy struggled to say the word. She hated the man but she had never committed murder before.

"We want you to exact your revenge on this man, my love. Don't forget everything he has done to you, to us," her mother said, brushing a stray tendril of hair behind her ear as she looked at her sadly. "He used to hurt me, always beating me down and he would threaten your life to keep me in line and I couldn't do anything about it because at the time since he worked for the Ministry."

"He did what to you?" Andy hissed as she turned to face the evil man, her hair crackling as her magic flared. The Dark Lord shot Bella a wicked smile that she returned, proud of the woman for tapping into their daughter's undying loyalty to her family. She stalked towards the man kneeling in her bedroom as he struggled against his restraints. She gripped his face tightly with her small hand, glaring into his dark eyes as her nails dug into his cheek before she swung and hit him full across the face. His face went to the left and his breathing sped up. She hit him again, over and over, in the face and the stomach until he laid on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes but refusing to fall. He knew what was going to happen and Andy wasn't about to stop now that she knew what this man had done to her mother.

"For Mother." Bloody gashes appeared all over his body and his muffled screams were like music to Dark Lord's ears, Bella grinning to herself.

"For Father." Three swift kicks that broke his entire left side of his ribs.

"For my childhood." With one quick slash of her hand, his throat was slit. Her breathing was heavy and her hair was a wild dark halo around her face as hands rested on top of her shoulders and her father's silky voice in her ear whispered, "Very good, my princess."

"You did an excellent job," her mother said, whispering in her other ear as she wrapped one arm around Andy's waist. "We are so very proud of you for handling that traitorous scum."

"Thank you, Mother, Father," she murmured, her eyes hazy and unfocused. "I am going to go shower; I believe I have some of his blood on me."

"Of course, pet," her father purred as she made her way to the bathroom, not even bothering to avoid the puddle of blood that was spreading slowly across the floor. He waited until the bloody footprints disappeared into the other room and he heard the water turn on before he called Severus into the room. The emotionless man entered the room as confidently as always but he stopped when he saw the dead wizard on the floor.

"I assume you handled him, my lord," he said in his usual bored tone. The Dark Lord smirked and shook his head and gestured to the bathroom door.

"No, our dear Andy took care of the traitor. Will you please dispose of the body before you go, Severus?" he asked. Severus made no expression but he simply nodded and levitated Rodolphous' corpse off the ground, clearing the floor of the blood and halting the blood flow from his wounds so it wouldn't drip everywhere before levitating the body behind him out to the back garden. Once outside, he cremated the body and let the ashes blow off into the wind as he took a deep breath. He needed to report back to Dumbledore immediately. With that, he Disapparated back to Hogwarts.

Over the next couple of weeks, the team did an excellent job at getting the Dark Lord riled up, from what Severus reported. Five times they thwarted the Death Eaters and left them either unconscious or utterly incapable of giving chase, which led to further injuries to the Death Eaters from their very infuriated Master. On the night of the 5th, they were in the final location. This time, the sixth time, was the grand finale to the nearly month long mission.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Cedric whispered to the other two as they huddled around the fire lit in the middle of the run-down and abandoned house they were using as their fake base.

"Severus said that he had a team of himself, Travers, Rookwood, and a woman named Stonehaven coming. They should be here any minute," Tonks replied quietly, warming her hands over the fire. A few short minutes later, they heard rustling from outside and they faked like they were getting up to check as Tonks sent the signal to the other five. Just as she sent the signal, Severus and the woman, Stonehaven, came in through the front door as Travers and Rookwood came through the back. The three Order members faked panic as they all backed against the wall. The curses began flying and the Order members drew the four Death Eaters closer to them, giving the other five Order members enough room to slip in unnoticed and knock out all four Death Eaters. Then Alastor Disapparated with Severus to Grimauld Place, leaving the other seven to clean up the mess. They looked around at the unconscious Death Eaters and exchanged a mischievous look, deciding to take their time with cleaning up that particular mess.

When Carissa woke up, she realized her wrists were tied above her head and her toes barely brushed the ground. She growled as she realized they had been ambushed. The Order must've found out that Severus was feeding them information. She wiggled about trying to free her wrists as she looked around. Travers and Rookwood were also strung up in a similar fashion except they were dressed in fluffy, large pink dresses that were beyond hideous. She looked down at her own body and let out a strangled scream of frustration.

"So did it work?" Severus asked as he sipped the tea Narcissa brought him, shaking off the effect of the hex. She nodded and chuckled to herself.

"Sirius and the rest of the rest of the group had a little bit of fun with it as well," she told him, pulling a photo that Remus had snapped before they left the fake hideout the previous night. Severus took t and had to stop himself from snorting tea out of his nose, choking on laughter as he shook his head. He took a ridiculous amount of joy in seeing them strung up and dressed in ridiculous outfits. He passed the photo back to Cissy and asked, "So the next step is to get Draco?"

"Yes, but we have to wait a little bit longer, they were planning on getting Andy before the end of November which means they'll be making a play for Draco within the next few weeks," she told him as she sipped her own cup of tea. "How is Andy, by the way?"

"Not good," he sighed as he set the cup down and stood up. "But I need to tell the entire Order together. Dumbledore is already aware of the situation so while he has called tonight's meeting, he won't be present; Kingsley will be running it instead."

"Why won't Professor Dumbledore be present?" she asked curiously as she stood with him and they both exited the small bedroom.

"He's looking for ways to snap Andy out of the trance she's under. We think she's being fed low doses of love potions in everything she ingests so she might be a little volatile for a few days after we first get her back but the potion will be out of her system after a week, at the most, and she will be back to her usual self," Severus explained to the woman and she nodded understandingly. They entered the kitchen together to see most of the Order already gathered, except for those who were coming from Hogwarts but they all heard the Floo from the other room activate so they knew they were coming. Not a minute later, Hermione, the twins, Harry, Ron, Sirius, Remus, Minerva, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, and Luna all filed into the kitchen. Over the weeks, the Order had grown so large that additional chairs had to be conjured and members had to squeeze together just to fit in the large kitchen. Severus waited for everyone to settle before he cleared his throat and said, "I have some startling information concerning Andy."

"Professor Dumbledore said it was urgent but that he wasn't able to make it to the meeting," Kingsley added, seeming to doubt the level of importance of the information. Severus nodded before he sighed for what felt like the billionth time.

"The night that I fed the Dark Lord the information about the fake hideout, he and Bellatrix walked Andy back to her room. An hour later, he summoned me up to her room as well. When I entered, Rodolphous Lestrange was laying on the floor of Andy's bedroom. He had been bound and gagged, beaten profusely in the face, sustained over ten broken ribs on his left side, been cut severely multiple times, and finally had his throat slit." Severus waited until the shocked gasps died down. "Neither the Dark Lord nor Bellatrix had a hand in his death."

"You can't be saying…" Sirius whispered in horror as multiple members of the Order put their hands over their mouths in horror. Severus nodded, a hint of sadness showing through his usual mask.

"I don't know how they managed to do it but they provoked her, they convinced her that he deserved to die," he said quietly. They all shook their heads, all of them that knew her personally feeling their stomachs drop in horror. Andy was feisty but never a killer. It was Alastor, much to their surprise, that said, "We're going to need a plan to get young Mr. Malfoy a hell of a lot sooner than Halloween. We need that boy now. The sooner we get him is the sooner we get her and can stop her from doing anything worse."

Their logistics team all nodded and Hermione said, "We could always get him next weekend. It's a Hogsmeade weekend so it wouldn't be too difficult. I could let him hear me telling the twins that I found out more information about where Andy had been taken to and tell them that we needed to go somewhere more private to discuss it."

"Then we can lure him away from the town, snatch him, and get the hell out of there," the twins finished for her, looking utterly determined. The older members shared a look and shrugged.

"It's the best we have but if I may, I would like to go on this mission. It will be easier to get him to come quietly if I am with you," Cissy threw in. They all looked at Kingsley and he nodded his consent.

"We take the boy, one way or another, next Saturday."

That night, Sirius sat up drinking his way through a bottle of Firewhiskey in the library, watching the fire crackle as the alcohol burned its way down to his stomach. As he watched the entrancing flames dance, he was plagued with guilt as he thought of the blood his Andy had on her hands now, all because he didn't properly take care of her. She was going to live with that guilt and regret for the rest of her life and a piece of it was always going to be his fault. "You love her."

Sirius whipped around to see Severus leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, watching him closely. Sirius rolled his eyes and muttered, "Piss off, Snape."

"No because Andy was right. We are being immature," the man said as he sat down in the armchair beside Sirius, looking at him for once in their long years of hatred with pure honesty and a lack of hostility. "I know you love her and she's been like an apprentice to me all these years. I don't typically like children but she clung to me since she met me. She loves you though and we both care about her so we need to get over this and try to get to her as soon as possible."

"What happened to you? Don't tell me you're in love with her too," Sirius said as he brought the almost empty bottle of liquor up to his lips and took a swig.

"No, I love the girl like a little sister but you love her as a lot more than that," Severus pointed out, which shut Sirius up for a moment. "So are we going to put this behind us and try to help Andy or are you going to hang on to this grudge for the rest of your life?"

Sirius was silent for a moment before he finally sighed and nodded, lowering the bottle of alcohol and saying, "You're right, she is what's important right now."

Severus leaned forward and held out his hand, waiting for Sirius. Sirius stared at the hand for a long moment before he leaned in as well and took the hand. They shook firmly and nodded at one another before they settled back into the armchairs and stared at the fire. They were quiet for a minute before Severus murmured, "She will be safe, we will get her back."

Andy sat on her bed, staring at the wall blankly. She killed a man. She killed a man in cold blood because of some rude words said to her ten years ago and events that she wasn't even all that sure really happened. She hadn't eaten in three days, since Severus was taken. All she did was making most of the food disappear so no one would say anything and the less she ate, the more her paranoia hit her. She wasn't sure what to believe anymore. She had lost two of the people she cared about and she had killed someone.

Who was she anymore?

She glanced at the overly ornate mirror hanging on the wall and didn't even recognize herself. Long gone were her purple, brown, or even blonde, locks. Her hair was back to her natural black that she hadn't even seen in years. Her usually bright green eyes seemed dull and lifeless. She didn't know how to feel about anything anymore. She hadn't seen her friends in five months. She had no contact with the outside world.

"Mistress, it's time for your evening meal. Master insists that you eat all of it tonight," Mitzy, her personal house elf, squeaked as she popped into the bedroom. Andy nodded blankly and murmured her thanks as the house elf set her tray of food on the bedside table and then popped away, no doubt back to the kitchens. Andy sighed and glanced at the tray of food woefully before part of her brain said, _Check for tampering_.

She tilted her head and furrowed her brows. She had checked for poisons her first night and there were none.

 _Tampering isn't limited to poisons._

Her eyes went wide as she scooted over to where the tray sat. She pushed out magical feelers and sensed around the food. She suddenly realized that her food smelled like mint and old books. And the more she thought about it…

All her food had smelled like mint and old books.

Only one potion did that to her.

She cursed under her breath and ran her fingers through her hair as she let out a raggedy breath. She had to act fast.

The Order members residing at Grimauld Place had just gathered for dinner when a Patronus in the shape of a rather large dog landed in the middle of the room. They all jumped in shock then the Patronus opened its mouth and Andy's voice came out of it.

"They have me hidden at Lestrange Manor. They've been drugging my food with love potions. Please help me."

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	16. Discovered Love and Halloween Fun

**There's a rumble in the floor  
So get prepared for war  
When it hits it'll knock you to the ground  
When it shakes up everything around  
But survival is a must  
So will you stand with us**

 **-Thousand Foot Krutch; Courtesy Call**

 **Discovered Love and Halloween Fun**

"What do you mean she contacted us?" Alastor demanded as he Flooed into Number 12 Grimauld Place, not even bothering with greeting the rest of the gathered Order. The only people who were not stuffed in the kitchen that served as their meeting room were Dumbledore, Minerva, and Kingsley who were running interference with the Ministry to buy the Order time to get Andy to safety now that she was back her right state of mind.

"Thirty minutes ago, she sent message through a Patronus. They had her under a love potion,"' Sirius informed him as the grizzled man paced the end of the long table, made temporary leader with both Dumbledore and Kingsley gone.

"Team, how are we getting to her?" he asked the group that sat together in a cluster near the end of the middle. The group was absolutely inseparable since they formed; most of them were never far from each other. They looked at each other and were silent for a few minutes, sharing questioning looks as if they were silently communicating. Finally, they all nodded each other and Alastor silenced the rest of the Order members with a single look and gestured for the group to share their idea. Remus was the one who stood and he looked around cautiously but determinedly.

"We have to distract the Dark Lord. We have to take his attention off Andy just long enough for us to get her the hell out of there. And what better way to distract an enemy than by drawing them into a battle," Remus stated. As expected, the entire table went up in arms. They weren't ready for a large scale battle, not all of them were fully trained, they had families they needed to return to, they wouldn't be able to handle the backlash, and so on and so forth. This time it was Hermione who jumped up and yelled, "Shut it!"

"Thank you, Mione," Remus said quietly as the fuming girl took her seat, the twins shooting her surprised yet appreciative glances. The older man sighed and ran his fingers through his tousled hair before he said, "I understand your worries but honestly, none of us are going to have families to return to if we don't get Andy back now. If they've been spiking her food and she's just now gotten out from under its hold, that indicates that she hasn't eaten in a number days depending on the strength of the potion which means every minute we spend squabbling, she is growing weaker and more susceptible to giving in and eating regardless of what is mixed with the food."

Sirius looked around at their frightened faces and stood beside his best friend, quietly adding, "We have all lost family to this man and his beliefs. Whether it's been recently or if it was fourteen years ago. We all lost someone. Andy lost her whole childhood because of who her parents are. She has not a friend in this world outside of us and the world will be exceedingly cruel to her when her true parentage comes to light. This woman has suffered for and fought against what runs in her blood. If we give up now and let her be dragged into the darkness, this death and all other deaths that happen as an effect of this will be on our hands."

Slowly, the Order members exchanged looks and the terror in their eyes turned to stone cold determination. A woman at the back that Sirius hadn't ever talked to was the one who spoke for the group, bravely saying, "Let's go get her."

"My lord, Travers reported seeing a mass gathering of Order members over in Windermere! He said there were upwards of forty of them, what do you want us to do?" Stonehaven reported breathlessly the second she burst into the meeting room. The Dark lord stood up so quickly that his chair when flying backwards. He hissed lowly and stalked around the table.

"We are all to report there this instant, I'm sure you and Draco can guard my daughter well enough. We will exterminate this problem tonight!" he seethed as he glided out of the room as lithe and ruthless as a predator, summoning all his followers. Carissa felt her jaw nearly hit the marble floors. She bent over backwards to be the best damn Death Eater and this bastard wouldn't even let her fight? He put her on babysitting duty because his precious snowflake of a daughter couldn't get over a guilty conscience over killing a man that was, let's be honest, less than desirable. But she knew better than to argue so she clenched her jaw, briefly closed her eyes to compose herself, and then turned sharply on her heel to head up to Princess Snowflake's room to keep an eye on her. Baby Malfoy was already in the room, attempting to coax her into eating something which the girl adamantly refused. She was looking paler and a bit more gaunt than Carissa remembered her looking the previous week. The girl looked up as Carissa entered and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"What's going on?" she asked. Despite her weak appearance, her voice was as normal as ever. If anything, she sounded a lot more firm and a lot less princess-like today. Carissa raised a brow but didn't comment on it.

"Your father has rallied his forces and gone off to war against the Order. Apparently a mass group of them were spotted in the town over," Carissa told her before she narrowed her eyes at the girl. "And I was left behind as a babysitter because you won't get over yourself and just bloody eat already."

"Pardon you but you can kindly piss off," Andy shot back with a sarcastic smile before her expression reverted to deadly irritation. "Go join the bloody fight if you're itching to blacken your soul so badly. I don't need a babysitter."

Carissa snorted and rolled her eyes at the girl, glancing around the empty room as she said, "Yeah I can see that but I also don't need your father hunting me to the ends of the earth because I let his precious little princess of a daughter get hurt or whatever trouble you happen to get yourself in to."

"You'll soon learn that I am a lot worse than her father so either you get the hell out of here or there won't even be enough pieces of you left for Voldemort to hex." All three of them in the bedroom leapt so high, startled at the low growling that came from the doorway. They all whipped their heads around to see Alastor Moody standing there, looking rather pissed and ready for the mission to be over. He was flanked by Sirius, Tonks, Severus, Cissy, and Fleur. Carissa's eyes went wide and when she went to touch her Dark Mark, Alastor shot a Killing Curse her way without flinching and that was the end to the nuisance known as Carissa Stonehaven.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Andy breathed in relief as Sirius ran to her and scooped her up. Draco watched with large terrified eyes until his mother approached him cautiously.

"Draco, love… I need you to come with me," she said slowly, her eyes on his as she gauged his reactions. "We need to get out of here. Your father is going down a very dark road and I fear it will mean the death of our entire family if we continue to follow him down it."

"Are you… You're working with the Order?" he asked her hesitantly. His mother nodded, begging him with her eyes as Alastor growled, "Hurry it up, Ms. Black, we don't have much time."

"Ms. Black?" Draco repeated, his eyes enlarging even further.

"Draco, baby, please come with me and I will explain everything. I can't protect you here anymore, please come with us," she begged him, on the verge of crying. He took another look at the open honesty on his mother's face and nodded, taking her hand and allowing her to pull him along out of the house.

"Look at you, you're like a knight in shining armour," Andy commented to Sirius with a small smirk. He grinned her, overflowing with the feeling of joy at being able to hold her again after five months of her missing.

"Bravery is what I do best, pup," he shot back as they made it outside. He Apparated the second he was outside the house and they landed in the park in front of Grimauld Place. Alastor had already gone inside and they followed Cissy and Draco in, the others bringing up the rear. When they entered, they realized that they were the first ones back so Alastor sent out a message to the others telling them to fall back. While they were waiting, they retreated to the kitchen where Andy weakly called out, "Mitzy!"

A small female house elf popped into the kitchen and looked at her Mistress in concern. "Is Mistress in trouble?"

"No Mitzy, this is our new home," Andy told her. Mitzy let out what looked to be a sigh of relief and her bat-like ears drooped as she calmed down.

"Oh good, Mistress wasn't doing well in old home, no no no she was not," Mitzy said with a furious shake of her head and her tiny hands on her hips. "What can Mitzy do to help?"

When the rest of the Order members made it back, dinner was already waiting for them. Some of them had sustained injuries but Remus, Molly, and Viktor reported no causalities which was cause for celebration. Everyone made a point to pat Andy on the head or hug her or shake her hand as they dined together in the warm kitchen. Andy grinned at them, feeling herself fill up with more life than she had felt inside herself in months. At the end of the night as everyone began trickling off, Harry lingered behind until it was just him, Sirius, and Andy remaining in the kitchen. The Hogwarts-residing members of the Order were given special leave due to the situation, even though the Golden Trio had been banned from the fighting (they hadn't even tried to stop the twins at this point) so he was in no rush to get anywhere. The black-haired teen sat across the table from his godfather and the girl he wanted desperately to call a friend and hesitantly raised his emerald eyes to meet hers, eyes that were so identical to his own that it unnerved him but he didn't look away. "Andy-"

"Harry, before you say anything, please know that there is nothing you could've done," she said, beating him to the punch. "It was either you make it out alive or you die but either way, he wasn't going to let me get away. Yes, it stung, but these last few days that I've been back in my right mind, I've realized that you did what you had to do and it's best that you did because that meant that at least one of us survived and in you making it out alive, we were both able to get out of this alive."

"How do you not absolutely hate me?" he asked her in shock. She looked down at her hands and then over at Sirius before she finally answered.

"Because I understand. You're fifteen, Harry. You deserve a chance to live and honestly, I can fend for myself pretty damn well," she said with a half-smile and a small shrug. He returned her smile before he stood up and said his goodnights and retired. That was when Sirius looped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, nuzzling into her familiar curls. She closed her eyes and rejoiced at being able to feel his touch again.

"I really thought I lost you, Andy," he whispered into her black locks. She felt her heart pang as she thought of how he must've felt all these months before she kicked herself.

"Yeah well don't worry, I won't resign you to the fate of only having Remus as a friend," she said, trying to make light of the situation. He pulled back at her and looked at her with furrowed brows before realization dawned in his eyes and he began laughing. Andy looked at him like he had lost his mind and asked, "Are you okay?"

He chuckled, shaking his head as he put his hands on either side of her face and pulled her into him, kissing her passionately. She was frozen with shock until he pulled back a bit and whispered against her lips, "You were never just a friend, Andy."

Her breathing hitched in her throat as she realized what he was saying. She hesitated for a moment longer and then she pressed her lips to his. She moved her hands up to his hair and tangled her fingers in his shaggy black waves as he caressed her cheek and tugged her curls lightly enough to make her gasp against his lips. She felt the wave of emotions hit her and carry her high, filling her full of feelings she had never experienced before, making her nervous and frantic, craving his love like an addict craves a fix. When they did finally break for air, they were both panting like mad and were staring deep into the other's eyes, as if trying to find the very meaning of life in them. His silver eyes had turned darker than usual and his voice had a husky roughness to it that drove her mad as he said, "I think we should go to bed."

Andy had never been flirty but something about his tone made the inner woman in her bare herself proudly and return that same hooded, lustful stare and whisper, "Let's."

His eyes widened as he realized the implication but he didn't waste a single second, he picked her up straight off the bench and Apparated them straight to his bedroom, unwilling to waste time by walking. Her legs had locked around his waist the second he had picked her up so he held her tight to him as he crossed the floor to his bed, kissing her frantically. It had been many years since he was last with a woman but tonight would be the first time he was with a woman he was in love with. He pressed gentle kisses to her jawline as he laid her down on the bed, resting over her by supporting himself up on his forearms. She looked up at him in lust but there was something else there. "What's wrong, love?"

"I've never…" she murmured, her cheeks turning bright pink. Sirius pulled back a little farther and looked at her in shock. "You're a virgin?"

"Yes. Is that bad?" she asked him, her eyes widening in fear. He shook his head and gazed at her in adoration.

"No, the opposite. This means no one has ruined you. This means your first time will be out of love and that is how it's supposed to be," he whispered reverently as he pressed more soft kisses along her neck and beside her ear making her shiver in anticipation.

"You love me?" she asked in a shaky, unfocused voice. He pulled himself up to look her dead in the eyes, his own open with nothing but honesty as he said, "Yes, I love you."

"I love you as well," she whispered back, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at him with a look in her eyes no one had ever directed at him before. He felt his chest expand with it and he swooped in to kiss her, conveying all his feelings into the way he cradled her to him, the way he caressed her lips and treated her like the angel she was to him. His guardian angel. She felt love for the first time in her life and the monsoon of emotions hit her like a train. This was what she had waited for, this is what she had searched for, this is what it was all about. This kind of love. His hand slipped under the robe and rested on her bare hip, causing her to gasp at the feel of skin on skin contact, the first time anyone had ever touched her beneath her clothing. The feel of his rough hands on her smooth skin was enough to send jolts of pleasure coursing through her body. He pulled back enough to meet her eyes, the silver irises almost completely dominated by his dilated pupils and he asked, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I want you, and I want all of you," she whispered back, looking at him, her eyes shining with pure trust and love. That was the only confirmation he needed before he bent back down to show the beautiful woman beneath him the extent of his love for her.

The next morning, Andy woke for the first time in her life completely naked. She realized an arm was thrown over her waist and she rolled over on to her other side to face an equally as unclothed Sirius. He looked ten years younger when he was asleep and unconcerned with the world. He must've felt her shift around as his brows furrowed and his arm tightened around her, pulling her closer into him. She smiled, feeling herself glowing with the love she felt for the man curled around her as she brushed the loose pieces of hair back behind his ear and whispered, "Good morning, handsome."

He blinked sleepily at the sound of her voice and looked up at her. It took him a moment but when he registered the situation in his brain, he smiled at her lazily, still blinking sleep out of his eyes as he murmured, "Good morning, beautiful."

"I don't know about you but I desperately need food," she told him with a shy smile as her cheeks flushed. He grinned boyishly at her as he flopped on his back and stretched out like a cat, yawning widely before he rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow so he could smile at her, already looking wide awake.

"Well then come on," he said as he threw the covers back, exposing both of their naked bodies to the cold October air. She yelped and yelled, "Sirius, what the hell!"

He barked out a loud laugh as he tucked her back under the warm covers but got up to get dressed, still chuckling as he felt her accusatory eyes following his every move. When he turned back around, he realized her eyes had darkened and he grinned, feeling himself preen with pride on the inside before he jokingly said, "Wait until later to be giving me those eyes. You're no doubt still sore from last night which means you need to rest a bit."

"Shuddup," she murmured as she blushed, trying to hide her smirk under the blanket but he just grinned at her. She finally summoned a new outfit for herself, refusing to take the legendary Walk of Shame, as Sirius dressed himself in dark wash jeans, a long-sleeved maroon shirt, and a black leather jacket that matched his scuffed up and worn out black boots that he couldn't be parted from. Andy was grateful to be back in her regular clothing that consisted of dark wash jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt with a grey tank top underneath, a black and white knit cardigan that touched the backs of her thighs over the long-sleeved shirt, black leather boots, and white boot socks that peeked over the tops of her boots. She spun around in front of Sirius, one eyebrow raised, asking for his approval. He looked her up and down before giving her the thumbs up. She grinned at him and kissed his cheek before he looped his arm around her waist and led her out of the room. When they entered the kitchen, everyone looked up and the couple froze in their place.

"Couldn't bother with a Silencing charm, mate? I didn't need to hear my little sister saying your name like that at two in the morning," Remus said with a grin, his eyes twinkling as he poked fun at his best friend. The Weasley men minus Ron were all grinning like madmen while the Golden Trio as well as Minerva looked inexplicably uncomfortable. Molly looked ready to shove her frying pan places it shouldn't be, Tonks was smothering her laughter behind her cup of coffee, Papa was smiling to himself, Severus looked ready to shoot everyone in the kitchen with a Killing Curse, and Alastor didn't look too far behind him while Fleur looked at Andy like a proud mother. Cedric and Viktor were bright red and focused intently on their breakfast. Andy turned and looked at Sirius in horror and he scratched the back of his neck whilst giving her a sheepish grin and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Oops?" he said, attempting to alleviate the amount of trouble he was in.

"Sirius Orion Black, I swear to Merlin I will kill you!"

"That's not why you were screaming his name last night," Fred said under his breath before he yelped in pain as a cookbook collided with the back of his head, Andy glaring at him, daring him to test her. He just grinned at her though, finding her anger hilarious.

"Don't be so violent, I'm sure Sirius wants you to save that frustration for later," George said, picking up his brother's mantle.

"How about you take you and your sass straight to f-"

"Andraste," her papa warned her, his amusement clear in his tone but his words still firm.

"Yeah, Andraste," George mimicked, grinning at seeing the girl get reigned in. He raised his hands in surrender a second later when he saw a pot levitating a few feet away and the look in her eyes, daring him to say another word. Sirius just grinned and dragged his blushing love to the table, forcing her to sit as he made her plate. Her eyes flicked from face to face, daring any of them to say another word.

"Can we please take the discussion off the loss of Andy's innocence and back to something more pressing?" Severus drawled out, his tone seething with boredom. He then raised his cup of tea to his lips as he added, "Like whether or not she remembered to use contraception."

"OH MY DEAR SWEET MERLIN!" Andy yelled as everyone in the kitchen cracked up at Severus' teasing, even Alastor unable to withhold a smirk. It was twice as funny from him, due to his lack of emotion on every other occasion.

"I'm so proud of you, Sevvy, making jokes like that," Sirius said as he tried to hold back his laughter out of fear of what the woman tucked into his side would do to him if he let it out. Severus rolled his eyes but shot him a small smirk as he sipped from the cup. Her anger evaporated as she looked at the two men sitting beside each other in shock.

"Excuse me but were you two just civil to each other?" she asked them, looking between the two men with large eyes.

"Oh, yeah, that's a thing that happened while you were gone," Sirius said nonchalantly with a shrug. Her jaw dropped and she shook her head at the two of them before rolling her eyes and focusing on her breakfast.

"So team, what's on next week's episode of 1,001 Ways To Piss Off A Dark Lord?" Bill asked. Andy looked around in confusion before Sirius bent down and whispered, "He means the logistics team. We're the ones that plan the raids and the attacks and pretty much anything to piss off good ol' Voldy."

"We?" she asked him with a raised brow. He grinned at her and shrugged as Hermione said, "Well, now we have everyone we need back from them, we don't have to worry about them having leverage on us so I say full steam ahead. It's coming up on All Hallow's Eve, so why not have fun with it?"

"What did you have in mind?" Papa asked curiously.

~Halloween Night, Attack Team 1, 7:30pm~

"Did you hear that?" Macnair whispered to his patrol partner, Travers. The other wizard was looking in the general direction of the rustling noises indicating approach as he nodded. They both slid their wands into their hands, keeping them hidden by their long sleeves just in case it was just another Muggle couple. The rustling got closer and a group of three Muggle female children came around the bend dressed in ridiculous interpretations of a witch's outfit. Travers shot his partner a disgusted look and rolled his eyes.

"Happy Halloween!" one of the younger girls squeaked to the two men, utterly unaware of the danger she was in. The wizards rolled their eyes and straightened, ignoring the greeting. They went back to just standing on the corner, the three Muggle girls forgotten until Travers felt something poking his neck and he froze, hearing the same voice say, "Now, now. Where's your manners?"

Macnair cursed as he was caught in the same dilemma. Before either of them could react, they were knocked out cold and dragged into the bushes.

Around ten when Yaxley and Rookwood came to replace the two men, they were met with a crowd of spectators standing on the corner their comrades were supposed to be on. They shot each other looks and pushed their way through the crowd to see a sight they were not expecting.

Tied to the lamp post with their hands above their heads were Macnair and Travers, their masks lay shattered at their feet. Their black robes had been swapped for frilly white and pink dresses, covered in large bows, that reached their knees. Their legs were covered in white stockings with pink flowers embroidered on them and white Mary Janes covered their feet. Someone had done a horrible makeup job and utilized every shade of pink known to the cosmetic world to make them look as hideous as possible. Stapled to each of their chests was a paper sign that had a picture of a Muggle grade school class and then black print lettering that said, "We like to attack harmless children for the fun of it." Yaxley gave his partner a withering look as they realized why the picture was so familiar. Macnair and Travers had been a part of the team sent to attack a Muggle primary school the previous month. The Muggle crowd was whispering amongst itself and from what the two Death Eaters could hear, the Muggle officials had already been contacted so they had no choice but to leave their comrades behind. They left the scene as quickly as possible, Disapparating back to the manor to alert their leader to the attack.

~Halloween Night, Attack Team 2, 7:30pm~

Rabastan Lestrange and Goyle Sr. paced the length of a small, moderately busy street in a residential part of town that held the house of Kingsley Shacklebolt, new Minister of Magic and known Order member, whilst hoping to catch him off-guard, both disguised as Muggle policemen. They tipped their hats like they had seen other officials do to passing Muggles even though it dented their pride a bit each time they did it. The street fell unusually quiet at precisely 7:30pm that night though, not a single trick-or-treater coming down the sidewalk but neither of the men noticed this. What they did notice were two men that looked like drunkards stumbling down the street, their arms thrown over each other's shoulders as they sang a tune very loudly and off-key. Lestrange and Goyle rolled their eyes and forced fake smiles on their faces, tipping their hats to the drunks just as they had done to the rest of the Muggles and were about to turn away from them until the two drunks got closer. The two wizards recognized the supposed drunks just a second too late as a smile came onto the black-haired man's face and the two supposed drunks hit them with a bodybind hex before they could say a word.

When Rowle and Malfoy came to relieve Goyle and Lestrange of their patrol, they noticed something odd. Two police officer cars were parked next to the side of the road and a crowd of maybe fifteen people were standing on their toes and peering over heads to see something in front of a tree. The two men cast a Disillusionment charm in order to wiggle closer to the scene and Malfoy cursed none too lightly when he saw why the officers were there.

Sitting on the grass with their hands tied behind them, propped up against the tree, were Goyle and Lestrange. Their masks lay shattered in between them and their black robes had been swapped with harlot-like clothing. Their faces were made-up in over-the-top makeup that consisted of cherry red lipstick, bright pink blush, and electric blue eyeshadow. Stapled to their chests were papers with a picture of two dead women wearing similar clothing with large black lettering covering it that said, "We like to kill defenseless women for fun." Malfoy and Rowle exchanged glances before they slipped away once more, returning to their master's side to report the strange activity.

~Halloween Night, Attack Team 3, 7:30pm~

Avery and Dolohov sat on a bench facing into the park where a concert was being held to celebrate the holiday. They watched with disinterest that they hid behind false smiles. Thankfully, most of the Muggles were far away enough that none of them really noticed. Avery rolled his eyes at the sight of two Muggle teenagers intertwined with each other, embracing passionately. He snorted and murmured to his partner, "Bloody Muggles don't have a shred of decency."

"Guess it never transferred over, along with the magic gene," Dolohov responded and both the men snorted and chuckled under their breath.

"I'm sorry, did you say magic?" Both men froze up and exchanged a guilty look at being caught discussing magic so blatantly around Muggles before they turned around. Avery didn't even have time to curse before he was hexed. Dolohov didn't dare make a noise as he recognized the Dark Lord's daughter as one of the three people behind them, grinning maniacally. He knew the girl's power and wasn't about to piss her off.

"Hey there, Dolohov, how are you this fine evening?" she growled with a grin. He watched her with big eyes, remembering the carnage that had resulted from her facing off with Rodolphus. "How about you run along and play messenger for me?"

"W-what do you w-want me to s-say?" he stuttered, not taking his eyes off the half-mad girl that resembled her mother too much for the man's comfort. She tutted at him playfully and shook her head in mock disappointment, her eyes glinting as the other two, a witch and a wizard, advanced on him.

"Not so fast, love. It's Halloween, don't you want to have fun?"

~Halloween Night, Lestrange Manor, 10pm~

At precisely the same time, five wizards Apparated in front of the manor. They all looked at each other before all of them looked at Dolohov. He was dressed head to toe in Muggle young boy clothing that looked like it was entirely too tight for him and was entirely too small but for some reason, probably magic, it wouldn't tear. He also had a paper stapled to the front of his chest but none of them had the time to read it. The man looked wholly uncomfortable and waddled into the manor as fast as he could, his horrified comrades following behind him. When they burst into the meeting room where they lord and his consort lounged lazily, they looked at the five wizards with interest.

"What are all of you doing back so quickly? You are supposed to be out patrolling until two in the morning," the Dark Lord asked with a drawl as he narrowed his eyes at Dolohov's apparel.

"Macnair and Travers were ambushed, dressed ridiculously as female children, and left tied to a lamppost with signs on their chests, outing them as the attackers of that primary school from last month," Yaxley reported with a hesitant expression looking over at his partner as well as his other comrades. Malfoy nodded before he also reported, "Goyle and Rabastan were taken out in a similar manner but their attackers left them dressed in prostitute's clothing with a sign stapled to their chests that outed them as the killers of that Muggle prostitute that they hunted for fun two weeks ago."

"S-she attacked me and Avery, m-my lord. S-she hexed Avery and she said she was going to g-give me a message but s-she w-wanted to play d-dress up first," Dolohov stuttered in his thick accent, trying his best to keep it together in front of the temperamental man. Before he could blink, the Dark Lord's face was two inches from his own and he hissed, "Who is _she_?"

"Your d-daughter, m-my lord," he whispered in terror. His eyes went wide and he hissed as he whipped around, stalking back to the opposite end of the table.

"And what was my darling daughter's message?" he growled as he forced himself to stay under control.

"S-she told m-me to tell you that y-you s-should run while you c-can because she will b-be coming for you, she will hunt you t-to the ends of the earth and n-no one would g-get the pleasure of killing y-you except f-for her."

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	17. New Positions and Changing Tides

**So tie me to a post and block my ears  
I can see widows and orphans through my tears  
I know my call despite my faults  
And despite my growing fears**

 **-Mumford & Sons; The Cave**

 **New Positions and Changing Tides**

In the weeks following the Halloween mishaps, Hogwarts was, for the first time in a very long time, seemingly peaceful although there were whispers of the Dark Lord between students. There were rumours through the entire Wizarding community that a group had risen up, fighting against Him and keeping their people safe. The Muggle's arrest of five different known Death Eaters confirmed this. Unlike the first war, people were hopeful. They whispered about the group that moved in the shadows and their fearless, bold leader. Some whispered it was a girl with powers stronger than any of them had ever seen. Some whispered she was a descendant of one of the founders. No one knew her name but some people whispered she was the lost child of Lily and James Potter. Others believed she was the missing granddaughter of Headmaster Dumbledore. Witches and wizards had seen glimpses of the woman here and there but she would always disappear before anyone could ask any questions.

Others, though, believed the leader was Headmaster Dumbledore himself. They knew he had a hand in the first war's rebel efforts and knew he would no doubt have a hand in this one as well. Some believed that the notion was preposterous, that the man was far too old. And even some believed it was their own Minister of Magic, Minister Shacklebolt. Every time there was a rebel strike against the Dark Lord's forces, ministry officials were nowhere in the vicinity. But overall, most of the community believed it was all three, the trinity of powerful magicians working together to protect their community from destruction.

"Give me the bloody book, you stupid git!" Andy snarled as she leapt up, fingers outstretched trying to get the text that Fred held high above her head. He laughed at her pathetic attempts to reach the book until she punched him in the lower stomach and snatched the book out of his hands when he doubled over in pain, stomping on his foot for added effect as she sauntered away.

"Andraste, control your temper," her papa called from the adjacent sitting room where he, Kingsley, Sirius, Remus, Molly, Arthur, Minerva, Alastor, Aunt Cissy, and Severus sat discussing the news from outside the house.

"Tell that bloody doppelganger to quit teasing me then," she grumbled as she entered the room and flopped on one of the armchairs. Hermione, George, Harry, Ron, Draco, and Luna all sat around the back corner in a cluster of armchairs, conjured bean bags, and large pillows thrown haphazardly on the floor. Draco stood and perched on the arm of the chair, feeling more comfortable near his mentor. She had continued tutoring him as he had been pulled from Hogwarts due to the high probability of him being attacked for being a traitor. He was still wary of the Gryffindors and preferred sticking close to Andy, practically becoming her shadow. Oddly enough, he became fast friends with Luna and Hermione although he was still mostly quiet unless he was speaking to his mother or Andy. Andy already fired a warning shot to the Gryffindors that if any of the said anything rude to Draco or hurt him in anyway, they would regret being born so needless to say, they simply avoided him.

"You're a witch, you could've just summoned the book right out of his hands," Remus pointed out, looking over his shoulder at the girl he considered a baby sister with an amused smirk. She rolled her eyes and went back to studying the manuscript with Draco peeking over her shoulder. It was an alchemy text loaned to her by her papa's friend, Nicholas Flamel, that she found rather interesting.

"Anyways, are you sure Albus?" Minerva asked the older man, wringing her hands with a concerned gleam in her eye. The old wizard sighed and nodded his head sagely.

"It is what must be done." The group in the corner exchanged confused looks and glanced at the adults curiously but they quickly changed the subject.

"Our Muggle insiders have reported that all five Death Eaters broke out last night," Sirius reported. Alastor snorted and said, "Took 'em long enough, they've been sittin' in those cells for almost a month now."

"Well they've probably never needed to learn how to use wandless magic before so they were no doubt practicing. I'm just surprised that the Dark Lord didn't get them out sooner," Remus pointed out. This time it was Andy who snorted.

"Is it really so surprising though? He's no doubt pissed and that man loves to play cat-and-mouse games. He was letting their anxiety grow as they squirmed their way back to him but they were likely met with a very unpleasant welcome," she told them peering over the edge of the text. Severus nodded, confirming the girl's words.

"Travers is dead and the other four were beaten within an inch of their lives," he reported. Andy sighed and shook her head, resuming her reading on the chemical marriage, studying the gorgeous illustrations.

"I will summon the Order in about an hour. Molly, can you and Mitzy whip up something for dinner?" Albus asked the redheaded woman. She nodded before she stood, shot a sad look at Andy, and then bustled off. Andy didn't notice the look shot her way but Draco did and he cocked his head to the side curiously.

 _What is it, Draco?_ Andy's voice reverberated around his head. They had been using Legilimency to communicate silently ever since he had joined the Order with his mother. They were too different from the rest of the Order to have most of their conversations out loud.

 _I think they're hiding something and it has to do with you,_ he told her as he adjusted his seat on the arm of her chair. She gave a small nod to show that she agreed with him but neither of them said anymore on the subject.

"Andy, my dear child, will you walk with me?" Papa asked her. She looked up at him and nodded after a second's thought. She passed Draco the text and instructed him to continue reading, the two of them sharing a meaningful look before she turned and followed her papa out of the room.

"Where is he taking her?" George asked curiously as they all watched them go. The adults all shared a sad look.

"They have much to discuss, son," Arthur said cryptically. The twins shared a look before they looked at the others in their group. All of them were equally as confused but soon all of them noticed that Draco was trying very hard to feign ignorance and focus on the text he held open in front of him. The Gryffindors plus Luna shared a suspicious look before the twins declared, "Emergency Hogwarts-age-children-only meeting!"

With that, they scooped up the Malfoy and high-tailed it out the room with the others hot on their trail. They went straight for Ron and Harry's room where they all piled in before Hermione magically locked the door. The twins nicely deposited the terrified boy on Harry's bed before they stood across from him with their eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "What do you know?"

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly, looking everywhere but at the two older boys in front of him. Hermione rolled her eyes and unfolded her arms, moving across the room to push the twins out of the way. She sat beside Draco on the bed and said, "They're just being gits but they mean well. We don't like being kept out of the loop and if Andy knew something was going on, the one person she would no doubt tell would be you. So do you know anything that might help us?"

"I…" he looked down at his hands with furrowed brows before he looked up at her and said, "All I know is that the older Order members are planning something that has to do with Andy and none of them look too happy about it. I don't really know anything else but whatever it is, it's a decision that the headmaster made and no one else really likes so whatever it is, it's probably necessary or else I feel like the Order would be throwing a much larger fit about it."

"That could be a lot of things though," Ron pointed out pessimistically as he flopped back on his bed with a groan. Hermione was silent and Draco could see the wheels turning in her head as she processed the information.

"They could be sending her on a reconnaissance mission, like how they do to Professor Snape. That would be necessary but would probably upset a lot of people," she offered as she chewed her lip and thought deeper. "I don't know, that's really weird."

"Is it?" Luna asked in her usual dreamy tone as she floated over to the bed to sit on Draco's other side, looking at her two friends with a soft smile. "Andy is very powerful, you know. Even more powerful that Professor Dumbledore."

"That's stupid, Luna. No one is more powerful that Dumbledore," Ron shot back as he covered his eyes with his forearm, bored of the conversation already.

"Watch it, Weasley," Draco shot back with a sharp tone. "Don't talk to her like that."

"Yeah, Ron. Besides, Luna actually has a really great point. I overhead Professor Dumbledore telling Professor McGonagall that Andy's powers far outweigh his own and he feared her losing control one day," Hermione tacked on, defending her friends from the increasingly annoying ginger boy.

"Do you think they're sending her away?" George offered as he sat on top of the sturdy wooden desk beside Harry's bed, his twin sitting in the matching chair. Hermione continued chewing her lip and shook her head, glancing at the other two in her group for their opinions. They shook their heads as well and Draco said, "She, like Potter, is too valuable to this fight for them to have her away from them. No, I think Hermione was right, it's probably something to do with a mission they have for her."

"Boys! Hermione! Luna! Come help with dinner!" Mrs. Weasley hollered from down the stairs. The group groaned collectively as they all shuffled out of the room to go assist the redheaded woman. An hour later, the Order had gathered in the kitchen that had been magically enlarged to make room for the newly elongated dinner table that could now comfortably fit all the members. The twins sat between Remus and Hermione with Sirius on Remus' other side and Andy next to him as well, sitting on the edge of the bench. Draco sat directly across from her with Luna next to him and then Harry and Ron on her other side. Ginny sat in between Tonks and Ron and the rest of the members made up the middle of the table. At the head of the table at the opposite end from Andy and Draco sat Professor Dumbledore. To his left were Alastor, Narcissa, Arthur, and Molly. To his right were Kingsley, Minerva, Severus, and Cedric who had become a captain of sorts, in charge of leading most of their smaller recon groups after he displayed his incredible dueling abilities. They all dined together but the group at the far end noticed Andy's silence and the way she played with her food, barely eating. They all exchanged worried looks as Remus and Sirius refused to meet any of their eyes. When they all finished eating and Molly magically removed the last of the dishes to be cleaned, Dumbledore stood and the members fell silent, watching him curiously.

"As you all know, Lord Voldemort has renewed his efforts to break into Hogwarts as well as his efforts to recruit other magical creatures. We have reports that he's been sending envoys to the giant folk, the centaurs, the merpeople, three different werewolf packs, and several covens of vampires. Due to this, my attention is needed elsewhere. Most of these groups will not acknowledge any messengers from us unless I go myself. At the same time, I cannot leave this Order defenseless nor can I leave Hogwarts unprotected," he explained to them as he gave them his usual mystically smile. "So I have decided to name a new leader for the Order as well as a new Headmistress for Hogwarts."

The members whispered to themselves, all of them looking at Minerva expectantly but she gave nothing away. Then Dumbledore said, "Andy, will you please join me?"

The group at the far end of the table gasped, as well as some of the other members, as they watched the dark-haired girl stand and slip her way off the end of the bench. She made her way to her grandfather whilst keeping her eyes on the stone floors. She glanced up to look at him as she stood beside him and he put his hands on her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Andraste will take over as both Headmistress of Hogwarts as well as the leader of the Order of the Phoenix as Minerva and Alastor will be joining me on my journey. Kingsley must focus on the Ministry right now as Lord Voldemort is becoming increasingly more volatile. Severus will be replacing Minerva as Deputy Headmaster."

"She's too young to lead!" a young male protested from somewhere in the middle of the table. Dumbledore smiled sadly at him and said, "You are all too young to be a part of this, in my opinion. But Andraste has more power, more wisdom, and more knowledge than any of us and therefore, is the best possible leader."

"Andraste Philomela Slytherin, do you hereby accept the duties and responsibilities that come with the title Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Kingsley asked her as he stood in front of her, conducting the official ceremony before anyone else could argue. The young girl, barely nineteen, looked up at him and strongly said, "I accept."

"Do you so solemnly swear to uphold the betterment of the young witches and wizards in your care and put their safety above all else?"

"I do so solemnly swear."

"Do you so solemnly swear to always act with integrity, strength, wisdom, and fairness?"

"I do so solemnly swear."

"Do you accept the duties and responsibilities that come with the title Leader of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"I accept."

"Do you so solemnly swear to defend our world from darkness and all things evil, as well as put the witches and wizards under your rule first and foremost as far as safety and protection go?"

"I do so solemnly swear."

"Do you so solemnly swear to never turn to the Dark Arts, to always defend the innocent from the wicked, to act with fairness and justice, to never stop fighting until you have given you last breath?"

"I do so solemnly swear."

"Then I, Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, hereby declare you, Andraste Philomela Slytherin, the Headmistress of Hogwarts and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix." Andy turned to face the long table of members as they all clapped wildly for the girl. The children who had been wondering what all the secrecy was about were watching her with shock. Andy took her papa's seat at the head of the table and the members to her right shifted down a seat to allow both her papa and Kingsley to sit beside her. She met all the members' eyes before she finally spoke.

"Firstly, we will be needing a new Transfiguration professor so, Fleur?" she looked at her French best friend who looked at her in shock. "How about quitting your day job and coming to work with me?"

"Eet would be my honor," she said as she dipped her head with a smile. Andy returned the smile gratefully before she looked back at the rest of the table.

"With Papa, Auror Moody, and Professor McGonagall all gone, there will a shift in the hierarchy of the Order. Kingsley will also be absent from most meetings so all information will be relayed to him by myself or another messenger. I do not like how often Hogwarts is being left on its own so our meetings will be held in the castle from now on," she told them. She waited patiently while they fussed and when it started to die down a bit, she continued. "All the members of the original Order will be gone save for Remus, Sirius, and Severus. Therefore, they will be holding seniority positions. But, being Hogwarts professors on top of Order members, I will be assigning assistant leader positions to about four other members to conduct business and lead patrols."

"What about new members?" Oliver Wood, much to her irritation, asked from where he sat between Percy and Bill Weasley.

"Aunt Cissy will be in charge of training all new recruits so you and the rest of the recruits will report to her at least twice a week on days you will confirm with her to train," she said, doing her best to keep her expression under control. It had been well over a year since they had broken up but it still stung, as he had never apologized, only ever tried to make excuses for himself. She shook it off and continued on.

"I will summon you at least once a month so we can reconvene and go over new information. There may be other meetings depending on emergencies and whatnot but other than that, we are not expecting any attacks. Return to your jobs, to your families, to your lives. Stay strong, friends," she said to them as she dismissed the group. Some members left immediately whilst others hung around to chat. Andy glanced at her papa nervously but he smiled and patted her on the head reassuringly.

"We will be off now, child. You know how to contact me should you ever need me," he told her as he stood with Minerva, Kingsley, and Alastor. She stood as well and embraced him, hiding her face in his robes like she had done constantly when she had been younger. She didn't feel nineteen, nor did she feel old enough to be leading both a rebel group and a school but she knew better than to argue her papa's decision.

"Of course, Papa. Be safe," she murmured as she pulled back and offered him a weak smile. He patted her on the head yet again before he led the way out of the kitchen. Andy collapsed back into her chair and held her head in her hands.

"So, fearless leader, what's next?" She looked up to see the twins, the Golden trio, Draco, Ginny, and Luna all sitting around her, having moved closer to her as the adults filed out. She sighed and straightened up, settling into her new role.

"Now, oh young ones, we will be returning to Hogwarts. Let's go."

Back at the castle, she was back in her old rooms and a new door had been conjured that led to Draco's new rooms since he would still not be officially returning as a student. Instead, his official title was personal assistant to the Headmistress, which ensured that he stayed right by her side. She tried her best to sleep, curling herself around Amiya and softly stroking the jet black fur, scratching behind her velvety soft ears as she mulled over everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. She felt like the whole world was on her shoulders. She had so many people to look out for now, she was responsible for all of them. "Pup?"

She sat straight up and whipped around to see Sirius standing in the doorway, watching her closely. She hadn't even heard him open the door. She relaxed and fell back onto her bed and mumbled, "Come on in."

"Come here." He laid on the bed and pulled her against him, letting her lay her head on his chest and tangle her legs with his as he brushed his fingers through her hair. "You are not doing this all alone. The Order is behind you every step of the way. Remus and myself will be behind you every step of the way. You have the twins, Harry, Hermione, that loopy Lovegood girl, Ron, Ginny, and even baby Malfoy. We are all behind you, love."

"I don't know how to be a Headmistress either though, I was never even a professor," she whispered against the soft fabric of his shirt.

"You are a natural at leading, Andy. Don't fret. Take things day by day and we will overcome every obstacle together. Alright?" he asked her, giving her a pointed look. She met his eyes and gave him a small smile before she dipped in agreement.

"Alright. I love you," she murmured as she leaned up to kiss him gently. "Stay with me?"

"Obviously," he snorted as he wiggled to get comfortable beneath her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, "Get some rest, love."

The next morning, they got prepared for the day of classes. She dressed herself in one of her more regal outfits, courtesy of her Aunt Cissy; an all emerald green and silver set of robes with matching slippers that accented her eyes and she magically put her hair into an intricate updo with a few loose strands floating around her face. Sirius dressed in his usual dark jeans and long sleeved shirt with a plain black robe thrown on top but left open to show the highly unprofessional outfit underneath. Andy rolled her eyes at him but they made their way down to their shared living room where Remus and Draco were already waiting. They both looked up as the couple entered and Remus said, "All the other Heads of House have notified their students. Everyone is in the Great Hall waiting."

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting any longer," she replied bravely as she straightened her back and marched out of the room. When they neared the Great Hall, she could hear the rumbling murmur of a thousand voices, all talking over each other. She paused long enough to look back over her shoulder at her friends and then she continued on into the Great Hall.

Students gasped as they recognized the woman striding down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. Andy kept her chin high as her black curls were swept over her shoulder by her movement. She met the eyes of her friends as she passed them and gave them small smiles but focused on reaching the podium she had so often seen her papa stand behind. She turned and faced the entire school as Remus, Sirius, and Draco took their seats at the high table, Severus sitting to the right of her chair and Draco sitting to the left. When they had settled, Andy cleared her throat loudly and waited for the hall to quiet down.

"Hello everyone. I'm sure most of you know who I am but for those of you who don't, my name is Andraste Philomela Slytherin and I am the new Headmistress of Hogwarts due to my grandfather's absence as he has been called away on urgent business," she told them. They whispered to themselves, most of them whispering the same things they heard their parents whisper: it was Her. She was the leader. "Professor McGonagall was called away with him as well so the newest addition to our staff is Miss Fleur Delacour who will be taking on the role of Transfiguration professor. Also, Gryffindor students, your new Head of House is Professor Lupin so report to him with any issues you may have. At this time, you may ask any questions, as I know a lot of you are no doubt confused."

"You said you last name was Slytherin but Professor Dumbledore is your grandfather. How did that happen?" a seventh year Slytherin girl asked accusingly, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

"I was adopted into the Dumbledore family as a young child but my true ancestry leads back to Salazar Slytherin himself," she told them honestly. All of the purebloods and those who understood the importance of lineage gasped and their whisperings became yelling.

"She's a fraud! Slytherin's line died out centuries ago!" one of the Slytherins yelled out, louder than the rest. Before Andy could fire a retort, someone else answered for her.

"Young man, I advise you to sit your behind back on that bench and act like a proper Slytherin and perhaps not insult my granddaughter." The Slytherin boy that had yelled out was frozen in fear after he had come face to face with Salazar Slytherin's ghost. The students fell deathly quiet as the other three Founders floated into the Hall as well, making their way to Andy. Salazar shot one last warning glance to the students in his House before he made his way to his granddaughter. "Right foolish lot, these ones. To think my own House would be acting that way."

"It's quite alright, Grandfather," she murmured as he floated past her and the four Founders stood in a row behind her. She then spoke loud enough for the rest of the hall to hear her. "As you can see, the Founders never really left Hogwarts. They've haunted this castle for the past thousand years and have seen the come and go of every student. We, as a whole school, have drifted so far from where we were supposed to be so another change that will be implemented after the winter break is that every Friday at some point, each House will report to a separate classroom where they will spend two hours with their Founder learning about the core values of their House and what it means to be a Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Attendance is mandatory."

"Where is Dumbledore?" a fourth-year Ravenclaw asked curiously. Andy glanced over her shoulder at Severus and he nodded, giving her the go-ahead.

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Auror Alastor Moody have gone on an extensive trip to visit our allies in other countries. They knew that their absences would be detrimental to Hogwarts so they left myself and Professor Snape in charge of Hogwarts whilst they are gone," she answered truthfully.

"Is it true that you're fighting against He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?" a first-year Gryffindor squeaked bravely. The entire hall fell silent, waiting for her answer. She steeled herself.

"Yes, I am. As I believe everyone should. I don't hate the man because he believes in blood superiority, although that is irritating. I hate the man because innocent people die at his hand every day and that isn't a world I want to live in," she told them. This time, there were no whispers. All the students stared at her with awe, the first time they had ever seen anyone openly declare themselves an enemy of the Dark Lord. "Now, all Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students may be excused to their first classes. Staff, you are also dismissed saved for Professor Snape and Professor Lupin."

"What about us?" Lee Jordan asked curiously as the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs made their way out of the Hall, glancing over their shoulders at the two remaining houses. The staff members ushered them out and closed the Hall doors behind them. It was just Severus, Remus, Draco, and herself left in the Hall with the Gryffindors and Slytherins.

"All of you stand, please," she ordered them politely. They looked around at each other in confusion but all stood off the benches. With a wave of her hand, she had the tables and benches transformed into a cluster of chairs in front of the steps leading to the high table. She conjured four chairs for herself and the other three left up at the front with her. "Everyone take a seat in one of the chairs."

She saw the evident dislike in the two warring Houses faces and hid her smirk as a couple of them tried tugging the chairs in order to better separate themselves but they quickly realized the chairs were magically stuck to the stone floors. They shot their new Headmistress withering glares as they took their seats, split perfectly in half as they faced her. One rather pissed Gryffindor fifth year who was forced to sit beside an equally as pissed third-year Slytherin piped up and asked, "What's this all about?"

"This, my dear lion cub, is about this ridiculous House prejudice you two have against each other," she told them bluntly giving them all a sarcastic and sickly sweet smile that made them shuffle uncomfortably. "Far too long have Gryffindors and Slytherins hated each other and over what?"

"Gryffindors are arrogant and stupid!" a Slytherin threw in.

"Yeah? Well at least we're not Dark Lord producers!" a vicious Gryffindor shot back and the squabbling broke out immediately until Andy yelled over them all, "Enough!"

She waited until they all fell silent and she had their attention before she continued. "Gryffindors can be arrogant and stupid, you're right. If want humility, go find a Hufflepuff and if you want intelligence, go find a Ravenclaw. Gryffindors are who they are because of bravery and courage and yes, in some certain lion cubs, it is nearly suffocating. I disliked my fair share of lion cubs in school, trust me. But I didn't dislike them because of the patch they wore on their robes. I disliked them because I knew their personality."

She then turned her attention to the Gryffindors, mainly glaring at the rather rude one that had spoken earlier, and added, "And not all Slytherins are evil. My best friend, godmother, and godbrother are all Slytherins. My entire lineage is full of Slytherins; I am the first non-Slytherin in our entire history. Slytherins are just naturally ambitious people. They know what they want and they go for it. They are clever and resourceful and unlike a lot of Gryffindors, they can see more than just the surface problem."

"My dad's mom was a Slytherin and my dad was the biggest Gryffindor in the world," Harry pitched in to help the woman who was his new Headmistress. Some of his fellow Gryffindors looked at him in shock and a few looked at him with betrayal.

"I made friends with Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood," Draco added from his seat beside her. Some of the Slytherins' eyes went wide at the thought of Draco mixing with a Muggleborn Gryffindor. Some more Gryffindors looked at Hermione with the same betrayed looks they had looked at Harry with.

"I'm the first Slytherin in my family, the rest of my family is Gryffindors," a meek Slytherin second year girl threw in. Andy nodded at her with a soft smile and the girl blushed lightly.

"Severus and I hated each other in school over petty rivalries but now that we're older, I realized how cruel me and my friends really were to him and all because he was a Slytherin," Remus admitted, focusing on his House but his eyes flicking to Severus every couple of moments. "I've long since apologized for my childish behaviour and we often spend hours debating new potion discoveries and discussing everything going on in the world because we have such different views so it makes for interesting conversation and has actually opened my eyes to a lot of issues in our community as a whole."

"Anyone could tell you that I had a severe dislike for all Gryffindors and was often cruel to them," Severus said quietly and Andy looked at him in shock, not expecting him to say anything. "That was all because I had been bullied in my Hogwarts days for being a Slytherin. I took that out on class after class of Gryffindors and now that I have gotten older, I have realized how petty my anger was. Headmistress Slytherin is correct, these feuds do nothing but cause unnecessary violence."

"War is coming, there is no denying that," she told them solemnly and that got their attention. She looked at each of their faces as she sighed, feeling the weight of her position on her shoulders. "War is coming and our only hope as a community is to band together. I know a lot of you have relatives that are fighting in the war on both sides so I need you all to know that if you ever need anyone to come talk to about how it's affecting you or if you're struggling with your classwork as a result, my door will be open every day from now on. All of the students here are my number one priority, regardless of which side of the fight you are on because you are merely children and you do not deserve to be dragged into a war started by adults."

"How can you be okay with people's who family fights for evil?" a seventh-year Gryffindor spat at her, looking thoroughly disgusted.

"Because my family is on both sides of this war, Mr. Lochane. My grandfather, godmother, godbrother, aunt, and close friends are on one side and my parents are on the other," she admitted freely, much to the shock of most of the students. She then shot the seventh-year boy a twisted smile and said, "And one of the new rules in place state that no student will attack another student, in any sort of way, and if they break that rule, the castle will alert me to it and the student in question will first be sentenced to a month of detention and then will be expelled from Hogwarts if they repeat the offense. We have too much at stake to be fighting amoungst ourselves in such a way so I suggest you learn to control your prejudices or start packing. All of your guardians have received a newsletter with all the updated policies as well."

"Do any of you have any other questions?" Remus asked them as he stood, brushing the front of his khakis off as he prepared to lead his House to their individual classes. The students just looked around at each other awkwardly and refused to meet the other House's eyes but nodded regardless. Remus and Severus shot Andy subtle smiles as they herded their Houses out of the Great Hall. When they were all gone, she slumped back against the chair and let out a deep sigh.

"That went better than expected," Draco noted positively as he looked over at his godsister. She snorted and rolled her eyes as she stood.

"We still have some ways to go, Draco. So let's go ahead and get started."

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	18. Wicked Attacks and Christmas Blessings

**Though nothing, will keep us together  
We could steal time, just for one day  
We can be Heroes, for ever and ever  
What d'you say?**

 **-David Bowie; Heroes**

 **Wicked Attacks and Christmas Blessings**

"Harry's been having more dreams from Voldemort's perspective," Hermione said without preamble as she entered the Headmistress' office. Andy was sitting comfortably behind her papa's desk, a smaller and more plain desk beside it that Draco worked at, as she flipped through the hundreds of letters she had received. She looked up with a raised eyebrow as the girl came flying across the office and plopped into one of the comfier armchairs across from the desk. "It's taking a toll on him but he won't listen to me and come talk to you."

"Well then let's settle that right now," Andy said with a shrug as she conjured her Patronus and sent it with a message requesting Harry's presence in her office immediately. She then sent an identical message to Severus and then gave Hermione a comforting smile. "You can go up to my chambers so Harry won't know it was you, I know how he can get sometimes."

"Thank you so much, Andy," Hermione said with such strong gratitude that it put a megawatt smile on Andy's face. The girl slipped up the almost hidden staircase right as the door opened to reveal Severus. He raised an eyebrow at her as he crossed the room coolly and took a seat in the same chair Hermione had just vacated.

"What's this all about, Andy?" he asked her curiously, hiding it behind his usual mask of indifference. Before she could answer, a mop of unruly black hair and shining green eyes peered around the corner of the doorway before hesitantly entering. She beamed brightly at the boy and said, "Harry! Come sit down, please."

"Of course," he mumbled as he made his way to one of the other chairs beside Severus. They exchanged a civil nod before they both looked at Andy and Harry asked, "What's this all about, Professor?"

"Well Harry, as you know, I have talent for knowing things. Especially when a witch or wizard isn't proficient in Occlumency and has their thoughts unprotected," she hinted heavily at him but he continued to look at her in confusion. She sighed and said plainly, "I know you've been having dreams from Lord Voldemort's perspective and I have called you here because that is dangerous and we need to find a way to protect you from his influence."

"What do you mean by that, Professor?" Harry asked, shifting uncomfortably at being found out.

"I mean that right now, he probably has no idea that you are seeing into his mind in your dreams but if he does figure that out, he would be able to manipulate what you saw," she explained to him. He glanced at Severus to see his reaction but he looked just as serious as Andy so Harry began to shift about even more out of anxiety.

"So you're saying that my dreams aren't just giving me access to his mind, they're giving him access to mine?" he asked for confirmation, looking between the two adults, silently hoping one of them said no. Unfortunately for him, both adults nodded slowly as they watched him carefully.

"I'm afraid so and that's why I called Professor Snape as well. He's the one who taught me Occlumency and I believe he will prove to be an apt teacher for you as well," she explained to him, gesturing to her deputy Headmaster as she mentioned him.

"And you're sure Occlumency will keep the Dark Lord out of my brain?" he asked her to be sure. She nodded and the young boy sighed but nodded in agreement. "Alright then. When do we start?"

"As this is your O.W.L year, I can't exempt you from all homework so you can focus on learning Occlumency but I can ask your other professors to dial it back a bit to only what is absolutely necessary but I say we start as soon as possible," Severus told him calmly. Harry nodded as he gazed distantly as the stone floors.

"Yeah… Yeah that sounds like the best idea. So tonight?" he asked, looking up at the professor. Andy watched the two of them hammer out the finer details with a hidden smile on her face. A year ago, those two wouldn't have been able to speak a civil word to one another, much less work together. When they finished, she dismissed them both and looked over at Draco who was watching her carefully.

"You're ridiculously good at that, you know," he told her as he resumed his task of writing out replies to some of the letters that had been sent in by parents and members of the magical community.

"What do you mean?" she asked him as she continued flipping through the letters, separating them first into whether they were positive or negative and then into further subgroups such as if they were rude, if they were relevant, if they posed a specific question, etc.

"I mean the way you bring people together. You draw them in and then keep them together like some sort of sticking charm," he explained with a small smile as he signed the bottom of one of the letters and then used magic to make it fold properly to fit into the envelope to be sent off. She smiled at him but had no reply so was content to just continue sorting through the letters with him by her side.

"My lord, we received word today that your daughter has taken on the role of Headmistress of Hogwarts and she is completely overthrowing the school," Yaxley reported after the Dark Lord had settled into his chair and beckoned for the man to begin. "Most of our insiders have cut contact with their families so we have reason to suspect that she has won them over and is offering them asylum."

"Foolish girl, does she really believe that will work. Who do we still have on the inside?" the Dark Lord asked coldly. Yaxley hesitated before admitting, "Just Snape now, my lord."

"I'm sorry, do you mean to tell me that every single one of your children, of our followers' children, have cut total contact with their families right before the Christmas break and we have not a single student spy inside Hogwarts right now?" the man asked as he straightened, staring at Yaxley with cold, empty eyes with one raised eyebrow. The man was too terrified to even speak so he settled for just nodding his head. The dark wizard's thin lips then curled into a wicked smile as he said, "Well then we will just have to draw her out now won't we?"

Andy had transformed the Great Hall tables and benches to hundreds of cozy bean bags and large, overstuffed pillows that were thrown about the stone floors, thick Persian rugs covering the ground to keep their toes warm as a majority of the students decided to stay at the castle that break as a show of solidarity. Much to Andy's pleasant surprise, the entire Slytherin House had stayed as well as the majority of the Gryffindor House (only two students had gone home). A good amount of the Ravenclaws stayed as well as a handful of the Hufflepuffs. The staff had conjured several large fireplaces with fluffy rugs in front of them that held students stretched out like cats in the sun. In the center of the Hall was a singular large Christmas tree that all of the students and staff decorated together, some creating their own ornaments to personalize the tree. It was eclectic and covered in several different colours to represent each House but the more that Andy stared at it, the more fitting it looked to her. Little by little over the course of the day, presents had begun to pile up under the Christmas tree that students were giving to one another. Andy smiled from her seat on a loveseat beside Sirius, sitting crisscross in her red and green Christmas pajamas, topped off with last year's Weasley sweater. The deep blue clashed horribly with the red reindeer pants and green gingerbread man socks but she didn't care. All of them were clad in similar holiday pajamas; she had even forced Draco into a green set of pajamas that had small silver snowflakes on them. He sat on the edge of the loveseat, leaning against her like he usually did. Remus was perched on the other arm, leaning against Sirius. The twins shared a large bean bag that was propped up against the loveseat and the others had arranged themselves around the loveseat as well.

"I told you, this is what you do," Draco whispered to her with a small smirk as they surveyed the Hall full of children coming together. Andy rolled her eyes at him yet again but grinned at him nonetheless. When it began to get late, Andy announced that Saint Nicholas wouldn't be able to leave any presents if they didn't go to sleep before extinguishing the candles and dimming the roaring fires to low crackles that slowly, little by little, lulled everyone but her, Remus, Sirius, Severus, and Fleur to sleep. The five of them exchanged conspiratorial smiles before they split up and made their ways around the Great Hall. Using gentle Legilimency, they managed to coax the desires of the students out and began to conjure the perfect presents for each student. They left the correct amount of currency at each store they took the objects from, along with a bit extra as a tip. Being a proven Slytherin and Lestrange had its monetary perks, especially since the Slytherin vault had been collecting money with no heir for years. She had nothing else to spend it on and decided that the kids needed it more than she did. They worked until well into the early morning. Fleur was the first to pass out from exhaustion, closely followed by Sirius and Remus. Severus and Andy finished the last few children themselves before they returned to their little site and curled up in their own sleeping bags like everyone else. It was odd seeing Severus in pajamas but the more time she spent with him, the more human he seemed to become. She smiled at him, which he returned with his own miniscule smile, before she slid her eyes shut.

They had been shut all of fourteen seconds before she heard the rustling of someone moving about in their sleeping bag and incoherent mumbling. Her eyes shot back open and she saw Harry tossing violently in his sleeping bag. Severus had already noted it and was staring at the boy intently, no doubt slipping into his mind to see what it was that was upsetting him. She waited patiently, wiggling out of her sleeping bag and creeping closer to the boy to lay his head in her lap and smooth his hair back off his sweaty forehead. She watched him in concern until she heard Severus whisper urgently, "Call the Order, send back-up to Arthur Weasley in the Department of Mysteries. He is under attack. Wake the boy immediately."

She touched her tattoo and focused on sending out the distress signal as Severus tore out of the Great Hall as silently as possible before she woke Harry, shaking his shoulder roughly to snap him out of it. He woke with a start but she restrained him and calmly said, "Harry, you had another nightmare. We already sent reinforcements to Arthur. I need you to stay calm."

"M-Mr. Weasley… Will he…?" Harry struggled to finish his sentence, his eyes bright and wild with terror. Andy chewed her bottom lip and sighed.

"I have no idea, Harry. Hopefully the other members will get to him before he loses too much blood," she told him honestly. The boy's eyes filled with tears and he leaned against Andy as she rubbed his back soothingly, kissing the top of his sweaty head comfortingly.

"Pup?" a sleepy Sirius asked. Their voices had roused him from his unconscious state. "Wha's happen?"

"Arthur was attacked whilst patrolling, I already sent reinforcements," she whispered as she continued to rock Harry gently and rub his back. "Can you wake the other Weasley children please?"

The shocking information woke him right and his face was set in the grim lines that it had been stuck in when she first met him. He nodded and said, "Of course, pup."

"Wha's this all about?" a yawning Ron asked as he sat on the loveseat Sirius and Andy had occupied earlier that night. Ginny sat beside him and the twins sat in front of them on their sleeping bags on the floor. Sirius and Andy shared a look, Andy still loosely holding on to Harry who was staring numbly off into space with his head on her shoulder.

"Guys, I don't really know how to tell you this any other way but…" She hesitated and swallowed before she could continue. "Your father was attacked while on Order duty by Lord Voldemort's personal pet snake."

"Dear Merlin," Fred murmured, their chocolate brown eyes all wide in horror as they stared at the woman they considered their friend. She closed her eyes for a brief moment to regain composure and to blink back her tears before she continued.

"Your mother will be arriving here any moment via Floo Network, the castle is the safest place for all of us right now," she told them and then she stopped, looking down at the pattern of Harry's red and gold sleeping bag before adding quietly, "I believe this was a personal attack. I believe he went after your father because of my close connection with your family. He was sending us a message, the same way we sent him one on Halloween."

"So this is your bloody fault," Ron hissed at her before he jumped up and ran out of the Hall. Andy's eyes went wide and she was taken back but she felt her shoulders drop as she felt the rush of guilt hit her like a train. Harry wiggled closer to her, wrapping his arms around her as two tears leaked their way down her face. Fred and George scooted closer to her as well and Ginny joined their circle, all of them hugging Andy tightly.

"Ron is just an incredibly large git when he's stressed," George whispered comfortingly to his best friend. Andy shook her head but before she could say anything, Fred added, "Don't you dare argue and try to blame yourself. It could've been anyone. Besides, I know he'll be alright."

"Yeah, us Weasleys are pretty resilient," Ginny piped up, smiling shyly at the woman she had looked up to ever since she was a first-year. Andy gave her a watery smile and squeezed them all back. They stayed like that for another couple of minutes before Molly came peeking into the large Hall. She was shocked to see all the sleeping children but she noted her children and Andy sitting on the opposite end of the Hall so she picked her way carefully through all of the children until she was able to enfold her own children in her arms, squeezing them tightly as she attempted to hide her tear-stained face. She included Harry, Andy, and Sirius in the hug as well and when she was able to compose herself, she pulled back enough to count their heads and frown, realizing she was short one ginger.

"Ron said some nasty things to Andy and then ran off," Ginny told her mum, secretly hooraying at the opportunity to get her older brother in trouble. Her mum's eyes narrowed until they were just slits before she took a seat on the loveseat, Ginny curling up with her head on her lap.

"Well then we will wait for him to reappear then won't we?" she said, stroking her only daughter's hair gently with a dangerous glint in her eyes that made the twins high five each other behind their backs so their mother couldn't see. Just then, a doe Patronus landed right in front of Andy and Severus' voice came out of its mouth.

"Arthur was found and was stabilized, he is at St. Mungo's. They said they would send word when he would be able to receive visitors but they said given a couple days, he'll be just fine," the man updated his leader. They all smiled in relief at one another before they relaxed. It was already six in the morning by this point so they decided to just stay up as the majority of the students would be awake in about an hour. Over that course of time, Order members filtered in to the Hall. Each one reacted with the same level of pleasant surprise to the decorations, the amount of presents under the large tree, and the children sprawled out everywhere in sleeping bags. As they approached, they all magically changed into their pajamas as well to match the rest of the people in the Hall. In the end they had been joined by Tonks, Aunt Dromeda, Uncle Ted, Aunt Cissy, Cedric, Mr. Diggory, Viktor and his younger sister Nikolaevna, Oliver and his family, Bill, Percy, Charlie, and a friend of Remus and Sirius named Emmeline Vance who was another member of the Order. She was one of the only other Slytherins in the Order but Sirius and Remus had told her that they thought she was sorted into that House as a fluke for the longest time. They all decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas where they were safer. As the students began waking up, they curiously approached the group of adults who were sitting around on the steps and the raised platform that typically held the high table. They were all introduced to the students and they intermingled until Andy was sure everyone was awake. She stood and clapped her hands together, getting everyone's attention immediately. She smiled at them happily, positively glowing at the family she was beginning.

"Happy Christmas everyone!" she greeted them and she was met by a chorus of 'Happy Christmas's in return. "Now that we're all awake I know that you've all noticed that we have a few extra guests this morning. These are some of friends who will be joining us for today's festivities. Last night, a very close friend of mine, Mr. Arthur Weasley, was brutally attacked and had to be submitted to St. Mungo's for care. Thankfully, we know that he is going to be alright but after that shock, we decided it would be best to have everyone in the same place plus where on Earth is safer that Hogwarts?"

They chuckled at the thought of someone trying to break into the heavily guarded castle before they quieted back down and Andy continued. "So if you would like to go ahead and separate, find your own little spot of ground and get comfy, then we can sort out the presents."

Immediately the students jumped up and began rushing to their favourite spots. Two people shared each fluffy rug and others dragged their pillows or sleeping bags to where they wanted to sit. When they settled, she gestured for the other adults to help her in sorting the presents. With sixteen of them, they were able to fly through the hundreds of presents, some of which had arrived over night from other relatives and friends. No student had less than four presents (Molly had duplicated her usual gift of sweets so that every student had a box full of treats) which put them all in unusually high spirits. Andy herself had received more than she had expected. She had well over twenty presents which stunned her but she levitated her pile to where she sat on a large pillow nonetheless. She had a new Weasley sweater (this year an emerald like her eyes with a glittering silver A on the center) which she changed into immediately as well as her own set of sweets and cakes from Molly who beamed at the girl when she saw her put her sweater on before anything else. From Fred, she received a new product they had just finalized that was a darkness powder; when you threw it in the air, no one in the vicinity would be able to see for up to ten minutes depending on the time of day. From George, she received a book titled '101 Ways to Abuse Your Power' which actually made her laugh hysterically. From Hermione, she received a very rare text on the origin of every different magical creature and how science and research were beginning to point to a singular common ancestor that all creatures, magical and not, descended from. From Harry, she received a bracelet that she knew had at one point belonged to his paternal grandmother; it was silver and had two very intricate yet tiny charms on it, one of which was a bold lion with rubies for eyes and then a thin snake with detailed scales and emeralds for eyes. The two animals were connected to an intricate P forged from the same silver, the lion connected by his nose and the snake connected by his tongue. Tied to the bracelet with a string was a small note in Harry's sloppy script that read: "Dear Andy, I hope you like this, I found it in my vault when we went to Gringotts to get money for Christmas shopping. I did some research and apparently, the Potters were known for being Gryffindors that would marry Slytherins. I don't see that happening to me but I know that my dad's parents considered Sirius their second son and you are a literal Slytherin so I feel like this fits you better. Besides, you are family to me now. Happy Christmas, Harry." She blinked back the tears and had Sirius help her with the clasp on the bracelet. She refused to let him read the note but she met Harry's eyes and gave him the largest, most grateful smile he had ever seen. He returned it without hesitation and they continued unwrapping presents.

From Charlie, she was given a cat grooming set because she had complained about Amiya's fur being out of control and, being a familiar, magical grooming doesn't work on her. From Bill, she received a note saying he had put twenty Galleons worth of credit in her name at her favourite bookshop. From Percy, she was gifted a new stationary set (it had swirling rainbows as a background and mewling kittens along the border) as it was their tradition to get each other the craziest set of stationary each Christmas. The tradition had begun in her second year, which was her first year spending Christmas with the Weasleys, when they both had guessed and got each other really fancy sets of stationary and from then on, it became a competition. Tonks gifted her a kit that allowed her to dye her hair that wouldn't be able to be reversed by anything or anyone except the hair colour remover that the kit came with. It was also customizable so she could make any colour she wanted. Aunt Dromeda and Ted gifted her with a large text that had been shrunken down that contained every family lineage of every magical family right back to their roots. The interesting part about the text is that as every magical child is born, a new spot is made for them on their family tree and if they're Muggleborn, a whole new page appears with their name at the very top. It was a nifty gift that Aunt Dromeda stated on the note written on the inner cover that she had had ever since she moved out of her parents' house and that they had had way before she was ever thought of. Aunt Cissy gifted her with a gorgeous new set of robes with matching slippers as well as a rather regal Muggle outfit consisting of a gorgeous beige sleeveless dress that was sewn to accent her curves, a pristine white fur coat that reached her knees with a gold zipper, matching beige stilettos, a gold chain necklace that had a single pearl in the center of the chain, a set of pearl earrings, and a thin gold chain bracelet that was dotted with miniscule pearls cut in half that were inlaid in a gold setting. They whole gift was so gorgeous and mind boggling that her jaw had dropped and she didn't bother to close her mouth for nearly ten minutes. She didn't notice the very satisfied smile her Aunt Cissy had on her face due to being too wrapped up in the ornate gift.

From Cedric, she received a book on spells that can only be done by advanced witches and wizards who could do wandless magic and surprisingly, there were a few that she hadn't ever tried. Viktor gave her a book on Bulgarian politics, both magical and Muggle, since she had mentioned an interest in how the rest of the world governed their people. Fleur gifted her a bottle of a rare French perfume that never ran out and had a scent that reminded Andy of crisp Spring mornings and blossoming meadows. Oliver, much to Andy's displeasure, had gifted her a box of her favourite chocolates as well as a first edition copy of her favourite Muggle novel, _Frankenstein._ She refused to think of how much he would've had to pay to get his hands on a first edition and just moved along. From Severus, she received a book on advanced potions as well as the top ten potions every Potions Master should have in their stock at all times. From Minerva, she received a self-developing camera that took magical photos as well as an endless supply of film. From Papa, she received a note assuring her of his well-being along with Minerva's and Alastor's, and a deep blue tulip with silver tips that had been magically enchanted to live as long as she did. From Draco, she received her own copy of _Tabula Smaragdina_ that she had originally been borrowing from Sir Nicholas. From Sir Nicholas Flamel himself, she received his own personal copy of _Aurora consurgens_ along with his personal alchemy notes all bound together in a book that would only open in response to her magic so as to keep his secrets safe as well as a small note that stated, "Dear Ms. Slytherin, as I will soon run out of elixir to keep myself and my dear wife alive, we have both decided that you are the only person truly worthy to be privy to my life's work. I hope you find both my notes as well as my personal copy of _Aurora consurgens_ helpful to your studies. Blessed travels, Sir Nicholas Flamel."

She grinned and felt overwhelming gratitude, making a mental note to send the man a thank you before she continued to the next present. This one was from Remus who had given her a simple note that told her that on one of the days she had free, he was taking her to his favourite tattoo parlour to get her a tattoo of her choice, all expenses paid in full. From Luna, she was gifted a special pair of psychedelic glasses that, according to the handwritten note attached to them, would allow her to see otherwise invisible magical creatures. From a Slytherin girl named Leana whom Andy was personally tutoring, she received a quill made from a peacock feather that was magically enchanted so she would never need ink. From the group of Slytherins and Ravenclaws who had Death Eater relatives that she was counseling individually, she received a box full of cute jewelry, interesting books and novels, and sweets that they all pitched in to get. From Sirius, she received a necklace that had a gleaming silver dog charm with diamonds for eyes. In the box it came in was a note that read: "To my love Andy, I had these necklaces enchanted so that should one of us ever be in danger, the other's necklace will grow hot to alert the other to the danger. I hope you appreciate it as much as I appreciate you, as I have ever since you first fell into my life. I will always believe myself to be the luckiest man on the planet because after everything I have seen and done, you still want to be mine. Love always, Sirius."

She teared up a bit at the sentiment and glanced over at the man sitting by her side to see a similar silver necklace sitting on top of his new Weasley sweater except his charm was in the shape of a gleaming wolf with emeralds for the eyes. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked around at the rest of her family, seeing as that was what they were to her now, and smiled softly. She was lucky, she would even go so far as to say she had been blessed, to be surrounded by the family that she was. Right as she went to stand to clear away all the wrapping paper and announce breakfast, she noticed one final envelope. She looked at it curiously as she picked it up. It had no sender's name on it but her name was scrawled delicately on the front of the envelope. She gently tore it open and pulled out the folded piece of parchment that was inside. When she unfolded it, a short tuft of familiar ginger hair fell onto her lap and the parchment had three very simple words scrawled on it:

 _Happy Christmas, daughter._

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	19. Terrible Losses and New Beginnings

**I got nothing, I got nothing to lose**

 **Time is running out and I'm overdue**

 **And I'm coming, coming for you**

 **With a hard head and a bad attitude**

 **-Rivvrs; Walk In The Wild**

 **Terrible Loses and New Beginnings**

After the Christmas fiasco, Arthur had a glorious recovery and was healed right after the New Year. After his attack though, all Order members were assigned patrol buddies and no solo missions were allowed under any circumstances. By March, Andy had fully settled into the swing of things and was flawlessly leading both her school and the Order without an abundance of stress. They continued monitoring the prophecy and protecting it from Voldemort, although why it was so insanely important to the man, Andy couldn't understand. She didn't tell anyone of the letter sent to her by her father nor did she mention it when Molly tutted over a patch of Arthur's hair that was noticeably shorter than the rest of his hair. She felt that her people had gone through enough as it was and wasn't about to add to their distress. Thankfully, both sides had grown quiet but Andy knew that that meant something a whole lot bigger was coming. It was early June and students throughout the castle were doing last minute cram sessions for their exams when a surprise arrived for Andy.

"My, my, what a wonderful job you've done, my dear." Her head snapped up to see her papa standing in the doorway of the office looking at her with his usual twinkling blue eyes she had missed more than she was willing to admit. She jumped up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back tightly and when he pulled back, he studied her face intensely. "It is hard for me to believe that you are already a grown woman sometimes."

"Hush, what are you doing home? I thought you still had the American vampires to deal with?" she asked him as they made their way over to the armchairs and sat facing each other.

"Alas, they outright refused to meet with me under any circumstances so we decided it was time to return home. We heard of Arthur's attack, I trust he is well?" Papa inquired with a raised brow.

"Yep, fully healed and not allowed to be in the field any more than absolutely necessary," she said in a tone that told her papa just how much the ginger man appreciated that. He laughed heartily at his granddaughter's sass that he had missed so much in his seven months abroad. "Also, Death Eater activity has been strangely quiet. As in, nothing at all since the Christmas attack."

"Yes well that is to be expected. They're no doubt planning a large scale attack and need to conserve their resources for the time being," her papa explained to her and she nodded slowly, understanding his logic.

"Yes well enough about that, does that mean I can stop being Headmistress?" she asked him playfully but seriously nonetheless. She loved the students but she still didn't feel fit to lead while her papa was still around. He smiled mysteriously at her and she felt her gut drop.

"Actually, I was hoping to start up that class you had mentioned for Muggleborns and half-bloods. I have been in control of this school for far too long and you clearly were born to take care of the students so no, I believe I will leave Hogwarts in your very capable hands and return to being a simple, old professor," he told her as he sat back in the chair comfortably, watching her expression closely with the same smile. She took in a deep breath and then let it out, shaking her head with a wry smile as she said, "Whatever you believe to be best, Papa."

Just then, before either of them could continue the conversation, Godric floated into the office rather quickly and looked at Andy with a panicked expression. He was wringing his hands as he said, "Okay I know I'm not your favourite person but five Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw just used the Floo to get to the Ministry of Magic and all I could catch was the Potter boy saying that someone named Sirius was in trouble."

"Wait… what the bloody hell?" Andy murmured to herself. She touched her enchanted necklace and realized it was still cool which meant Sirius was in no danger and she felt her stomach drop.

Harry hadn't learned how to block his mind off in his sleep yet.

She checked the clock and realized that was 9:03p.m. which meant that Sirius just started his patrols with Remus. She sent them a Patronus message telling them to report to the Ministry immediately, that the kids had wandered into a trap. Then, Andy looked her papa with dread and touched her phoenix tattoo and thought of the Ministry as hard as she could. Then she nodded to Godric to show that his message had been received loud and clear before she looked at Papa and said, "Go tell Minerva and Severus, tell them to protect the castle under any circumstances. Then, when you've done that, meet us at the Ministry. I fear He might be there this time."

"I unfortunately agree with you, child," he said gravely as he stood. "Do what you can and do what you must. I will meet you there."

The second he was gone, she Flooed straight to the Ministry.

When she stepped out of the fireplace, everything was deadly silent.

She felt the dread rising in her body as she ran swiftly down the corridors and made her way up to the ninth floor. She knew the Dark Lord would want to lure Harry to the Hall of Prophecies so she knew that was her best guess. Once inside, the room around her spun and mixed the doors up but someone had already been through here and all the doors except one had a cross burned on to it so she threw open the unmarked door and was met with the sight of hundreds of tall rows of shelves, holding thousands of globes each. Each globe had a tag on it that noted who the prophecy was concerning but she wasn't interested in that. She could hear the sounds of fighting and she ran towards it, wand at the ready. She came upon a door in the middle of the aisle, not attached to a wall but was wide open and showed a very different room that was full of flashing lights and dueling wizards. She shrugged and jumped through it, Apparating midair to reach the ground safely. She landed directly behind Rookwood and killed him immediately, snapping his neck with a single flick of her wrist before she turned to see the rest of the Death Eaters. Everyone except Severus and the Dark Lord were present, right down to Lucius Malfoy. She saw her mother dueling Sirius intensely but she knew Sirius could hold his own. She heard a choked scream and turned to see Emmeline falling to the ground in a bloody heap, her body covered in gashes, with Travers standing above her. Andy felt sick at seeing the brilliant woman dead and she roared with anger, a sound that reverberated off the stone walls of the arena-style room, before she flew at the man. His eyes went wide in fear as he moved his wand as fast as he could, barely able to deflect every spell she threw his way until finally she got close enough and she grabbed his wand out of his hand, flipped it so she was holding it like a knife, transformed it into a rudimentary blade, and buried it up to its hilt in his chest before she snapped his neck with her bare hands. She whipped around in a crouch, full predator at this point. A new recruit's eyes went wide and he Apparated away quickly to avoid facing her. She went after Yaxley next but was distracted her papa's arrival.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who became distracted.

Her dog charm necklace grew hot as a fire.

She heard her mother's triumphant roar the same time she heard Harry's shriek of outrage.

She looked just in time to see the light fade from Sirius' eyes as he fell back into the archway that was empty yet seemed to ripple as if some invisible, torn cloth was hung from it.

His body disappeared into the void.

Her heart shattered.

She wanted revenge.

She needed blood.

Before Harry could give chase to the woman, Andy took off after her mother, sprinting faster than she ever had before. She didn't hear all the voices calling her name, yelling for her to stop. She kept her rage-tinted vision on the woman whom she looked so much alike and she finally caught her in the large lobby area in the front of the Ministry where Andy had initially entered. She used her magic to choke as she stalked closer to her, watching as her mother clawed at her neck to free herself of the invisible hand. Andy leaned in until their faces were mere centimeters apart and she growled, "That was my love, Mother. You don't mess with a woman's love. You should know better."

She dropped her mother and allowed her to gasp for air for a moment before delivering a strong kick to her stomach, sending her flying on to her back as she wheezed for breath, looking at her daughter in fear. Before the words for the Killing Curse could make their way to her lips she heard a very unpleasant voice say, "Now Andy, you wouldn't harm your mother for protecting you from a lowly blood traitor like that man, now would you?"

"This woman is my mother only by blood and she murdered her own family therefore the only lowly blood traitor here is her," she hissed, her feelings completely primal at this point. Her rage and grief were two warring hurricanes inside of her soul and they were pushing her to madness that she had never felt before, magic making her hair crackle at the ends as she began to lose control. She slowly turned to face her father and he stood there, looking as demonic as ever. She hissed at him and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You challenge me?" he asked her with amusement. Instead of answering, she sent spell after nonverbal spell at him. She screamed in anguish as her magic began to deteriorate and act of its own accord. It shattered every window and cracked the fine marble flooring and broke the solid gold fountain statues into a thousand pieces. Her father watched her hesitantly as he saw the wild look in her eyes and he sensed her losing control. Finally, the girl gave one final scream and all the glass shards, chunks of gold debris, and all the water from the fountain came rushing at him and he had barely enough time to protect himself from being crushed to death. Then the girl hit the ground but stepping right over her body was Albus Dumbledore. The debris and water splashed to the ground and scattered as the Dark Lord hissed, "Ah, Dumbledore. Finally, just you and I."

When Andy awoke, she was laying on the couch in Pa-no, her office. She sat straight up as her memories hit her like a train but the dizziness from moving so fast hit her harder.

"Not so quickly, my child." She looked up to see her papa sitting in a chair right beside her. He leaned forward and helped her sit up slowly before offering her a glass of water. She took a small sip before looking around,

"What happened?" she whispered to him, too broken to even speak. Her papa sighed and shook his head.

"After you collapsed, I was able to fend him off and injure him enough to ensure that he stays off our tails for now. The whole community knows that he attacked the Ministry now though," he informed her. "We lost no one but Emmeline and…"

"Yeah…" she whispered as tears leaked down her face, her insides numb. She pulled her legs up and leaned her forehead against her knees so her papa wouldn't see her crying. She shook with the force of her sobs but she didn't make a single sound except for the ragged breaths she dragged in and pushed back out every few seconds. She felt her papa sit next to her and he put his arm over her shoulders, pulling her into him.

"Tragedy like this hasn't hit us since we lost Lily and James Potter all those years ago. Many times I wish I hadn't been so foolish and had made changes while I still had all of the students that became Death Eaters here and under my influence. Instead, I was a fool and refused to intervene and therefore signed their death certificates myself," her papa mused out loud to her as the flow of tears slowly dried up. "Many times I wish I could go back and change all of this, stop this war before it ever had the chance to happen, but alas, my body wouldn't be able to withstand the magic needed for such a thing."

"It isn't your fault, Papa. Every war has its causalities and this just happens to be one of ours," she murmured as she felt her eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion once more. He smiled sadly at her and moved so he could help her lay back down. Her eyes were closed and she felt her mind drifting off to the dark abyss of sleep when she heard her papa's voice very distantly whisper, "Sleep, my child. And when you wake, please forgive me."

When Andy blinked awake, she sat up and yawned loudly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she opened her eyes up fully, she froze. She was sitting in an alley.

She looked down at her hands. They were far too small.

So were her legs.

She looked around in terror and confusion when she realized she had something on her back. She slung a standard navy blue backpack off her shoulders and cringed when she noticed how large it was in comparison to her own size. Inside she found plenty of her own belongings but sitting on top was a neatly folded letter with her name on the front in her papa's loopy scrawl. She snatched it up and unfolded it.

 _My dear granddaughter Andraste,_

 _I told you that I so desperately wished that I could change the events of the first war against Lord Voldemort but that my body wouldn't be able to sustain that level of magic. Funny enough, you might be the only person that possibly could. Know that I love you more than anything in this world and you have made me more than proud but if we are to survive, I need you to fix what I so arrogantly ignored the first time around. Bring this letter to me at Hogwarts, you know how to get past the wards. I will recognize my own magical signature that is on this letter._

 _I must warn you though, child. Every decision we make from here on out shapes a brand new future so tread carefully; step on a butterfly today, kill a million tomorrow. Also, be strong. I know you are already but this time is much different than where you are from so use caution and never let them see you break._

 _I love you so dearly, my child._

 _Forever yours,_

 _Papa_

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on book one! Thank you to all the support, all of my faithful readers, and everyone that has helped push me through finishing these chapters. This part was pretty short, I know, but it will be a continuing series. Chapter one of part two, Onwards with Bravery, will be up in less than a week so I shall see you then!**

 **Love, RavenclawRae1918**

 **Updated as of 08-27-2016**


	20. AN: Sequels and Playlists!

**A/N:**

 **Hey everyone! All of the support for this story makes me absolutely thrilled and everyone who reads it makes my day. I just wanted to let all my readers know that the sequel is coming, albeit a little slowly due to lack of time. Between my online classes, working full time, and being pregnant, writing has become a wee bit harder to do so please be patient with me!**

 **Also, I have set up an 8tracks playlist for this story so if you're interested, this is the link.**

 **Thank you so much for all the support! 3**


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